Srinagar,May 16 (Scoop News)-From the sprawling lawns of SKICC, amidst setting of the sun over the magnificent Dal Lake, the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today unveiled the stunning beauty of Kashmir before the world and country’s top tourism players by inaugurating J&K first Travel Mart since 1988, at SKICC today.
He called upon the tourism delegates to become goodwill ambassadors and give a glimpse of J&K’s stunning beauty and unexplored potential.
Minister of Tourism, Punjab Government, Sohan Singh, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar, Minister of State for I&C and H&UDD, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare, Asiya Naqash, MLA Anjum Fazil, MLC, Khursheed Alam, were also present on the occasion.
The Chief Minister said he was delighted by the participation of a galaxy of national and overseas delegates. He said the travel and trade fraternity is motivated to promote J&K as world’s top tourist destination.
Referring to the floods of 2014 which devastated the State’s infrastructure, the Chief Minister said he saw tourism as the only sector which can provides instant relief to the people. “I travelled to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi to campaign for revival of tourism in J&K. I have tried to change the negative perception about Kashmir by going to these places. I am happy that I am hosting you now,” he said while describing J&K as a safe tourist destination.
The Chief Minister said after travelling far and wide in many countries, he has found J&K as the best tourist destination in the world with no comparison. “I interacted with some German tourists in Aru, Pahalgam. They said they have been riveted by the beauty of this wonderful place. I believe there should be no off season in Kashmir,” he said, while urging to make Kashmir an all-season tourist destination.
Emphasising upon adventure tourism, the Chief Minister highlighted the need for packaging Golf and Corporate tourism for high-spending tourists. He, however, asked the tourism department to increase its intake capacity to reach out to a larger number of visitors from across the world.
Mufti Sayeed resolved to host a conference at Gulmarg on the pattern of Davos which hosts the World Economic Forum summit every year, in which he will also invite the country’s Prime Minister. He sought support of all the delegates in changing the perception of people across the country about visiting Kashmir.
He assured the delegates that his Government will take steps to facilitate the tourists and offer them add-on facilities so that they extend their stay. He said he will dovetail the handicrafts industry in tourism so that genuine hand-made and price-tagged products are sold to the visitors. “We will evolve packages that will be properly advertised,” he said, while praising the interest shown by private players to play their role in tourism industry of the State .
He said facilities at all known resorts like Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam will be improved once the Master Plans are finalized.
Earlier, he went around the stalls set up by Valley’s top leading tourism players, which provide a window of opportunities that lie in Kashmir.
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