Surat,February 17 (Scoop News) – Continuing its publicity and promotional campaigns outside J&K State, with an avowed objective of achieving better tourist arrivals during the approaching tourist season, the J&K Tourism Department organized a Road Show at Surat in Gujrat today.
J&K Minister for Tourism & Culture, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Managing Director, JKTDC, Satish Nehru, Director Tourism, Kashmir, Farooq Shah, and Director Tourism, Jammu S. N. Sahani, interacted with a host of people connected with the tour and travel industry and the media on the occasion.
The invitees were informed about the initiatives taken by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir for developing the tourist infrastructure in the State and for providing qualitative services to tourists. The tour and travel operators were urged to market the varied and distinctive potential of J&K, be it in leisure, adventure, pilgrim or eco-tourism. They were told that the sport of Golf was poised to take-off in a big manner in the State as the Golf Courses at Gulmarg and Pahalgam would be re-commissioned this year. After completion of up-gradation works these two courses alongwith India’s best course, the Royal Springs Golf Course, provide a unique Golfing Circuit, with three courses in close vicinity of each other, but nevertheless having typical features and challenges.
Audio-Visual presentations, highlighting the tourism silhouettes of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, were also played on the occasion. These took the audience on a virtual tour of the State. The invitees interacted enthusiastically with the State Delegation and pledged to offer their full support for the growth of the tourism industry in J&K. They were hopeful that the recent initiative of the Tourism Department in declaring 2010 as a Visit Kashmir Year would bear fruitful results and act as a precursor for prosperous times for all persons connected with the travel & hospitality sector.
It may be mentioned here that Jammu and Kashmir government has declared 2010 as ‘Visit Kashmir’ year to attract domestic and foreign tourists to the state.
To attract more and more tourists, state tourism department are holding road shows, Kashmiri festivals and participate in all tourism and trade marts in different cities of India.J&K Tourism department are hosting six major Kashmiri festivals in Bhopal, Indore, Surat, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata apart from taking part in tourism and trade fairs in major cities, The festival would showcase Kashmiri tradition, culture, music, dance, handcrafts, handlooms and village arts
In 2009, 82 lakh pilgrims visited Vaishnodevi shrine, 8 lakh pilgrims visited Shiv Khori, 4,75,050 tourists—including 23,636 foreigners—visited Kashmir Valley, near 4 lakh pilgrims visited Amarnath cave shrine and 78,573 tourists—including 41 thousand foreigners—visited Ladakh.