| Modern infrastructure, promoting new destinations key to tourism growth: CM | | Tour, travel operators call on Mufti | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 11: Identifying tourism industry as one of the prioritized sectors of the new Government, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today highlighted the urgent need to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure for high-end tourists as well taking effective steps in promoting new destinations to increase the visitors' footfall in the State.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the charge of the Tourism portfolio, said this while interacting with a delegation of Tour & Travel Associations of Kashmir, here today. Managing Director, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC), Farooq Ahmad Shah, who also holds the charge of Director Tourism, Kashmir, was present on the occasion.
The Chief Minister asked the MD JKTDC to immediately undertake forceful marketing drives and FAM (Familiarity) Tours to promote scenic destinations like Sonamarg, Kokernag, Daksum, Warwan and Dodhpathri so that visitors are able to explore the Valley beyond known destinations like Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
"Nature has bestowed us with beauty in abundance. We have to take steps to utilize idle tourism infrastructure at these nature spots for which New Tourism Development Authorities were created when I first took over in 2002," he said. He added that the Tourism Development Authorities shall be soon revitalized to focus on uniform spread of tourists across the valley.
Asking Director Tourism to explore ways and means to offer package tours to the visitors that showcase J&K as a confluence where nature, pilgrim and heritage tourism meet, the Chief Minister credited the sector for playing a vital role in encapsulating and defining Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh in its right perspective
"We need tourists that travel to Kashmir to come to Jammu for paying obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and vice versa. Similarly, those visiting the enchanting land of Ladakh should travel to Kashmir and Jammu to see and enjoy the unique oneness of J&K. This will come only when proper marketing strategies are in place," he added.
The tour operators' delegation, led by Nasir Shah, presented a memorandum to the Chief Minister highlighting their demands which include need for special rehabilitation policy for the flood-hit travel bodies, soft loan, incentive-based schemes, better marketing drives and removal of travel advisories by various countries. |
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