TravTalk India Online Magazine
The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) hosted the Third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar recently. In comparision to the first two TWG meetings organised at Rann of Kutch and Siliguri in the country, the Srinagar event witnessed the highest participation with more than 60 delegates from 29 countries attending it.
Nisha Verma
The third TWG meeting in Srinagar had the highest participation registered as compared to the first two meetings held at Rann of Kutch and Siliguri, informed Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT). More than 60 delegates from 29 countries attended the event.
Kashmir kickstart
Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, Jammu & Kashmir inaugurated the meeting in the presence of Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Science & Technology, MoS, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space; G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and DoNER, and Ajay Bhatt, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Defence. The inaugural ceremony was held at SKICC Srinagar.
The five key priority areas for the Third Tourism Working Group Meeting comprised Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, MSMEs and Destination Management.
Welcoming the delegates, Singh said the meeting gives a unique opportunity to present the rich culture and heritage of the region. He insisted the third G20 TWG brings huge potential to the tourism sector in the state. “The five priorities constitute the key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals 2030,” Singh said.
Collaborations galore
During his welcome address, Singh said through successful collaborations of the global tourism community it will be possible to achieve outcomes envisioned and strategized through these Tourism Working Group Meetings.
Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir, elaborated on the varied and immersive tourism products that the UT has to offer to the visitors, as well as the warmth and hospitality of its people. Briefing about the current developments in various sectors to have taken place in the UT, he said, “The change is evident, 18.8 million tourists arrived in UT in 2022.”
Singh said J&K will soon find its place in the top 50 destinations in the world and it will be on the bucket list of travel of global travellers. “J&K is developing the country’s largest book village on the banks of Wular Lake, as the aim is to make the countryside and popular destinations more sustainable and preserve the beauty of fascinating heritage sites. Tourism in J&K reflects multi religious and multicultural ethos of India. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, we have ensured that the transition in tourism sector in the backdrop of pandemic focuses on needs of travellers, interests of industry stakeholders, creates job opportunities and promote environmental awareness,” he emphasized. Reddy claimed TWG is progressing in the right direction and the joint effort of G20 nations, global organisations and invited countries will result in the achievement of inclusive and action-oriented decisive guidelines for the tourism industry.
Film tourism
A side event on Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation was held as part of the TWG meeting in Srinagar, where Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India, said the pristine beauty of the UT has the potential to pose itself as a film tourism destination. “There is no better film destination than J&K, which has everything to offer to the film industry,” he claimed. Kant highlighted the strides taken by the government in improving overall infrastructure development across the country, especially in J&K and the tourism sector.
Reddy, in his address, said India will be one stop for film production having beautiful locations, talented technicians, state of the art post-production facilities that can create amazing visuals with the world-class sound effects. “The side event is of utmost importance as it will explore the potential of film tourism and its contribution to our vibrant tourism industry. Film tourism is a powerful medium to promote tourism potential, as films have an impact on the travel choices attracting tourists all over the world,” he added.
Telugu film actor, producer and entrepreneur, K. Ram Charan was also present. He said the beauty of J&K is magical. “It attracts people towards its pristine beauty, magical mountains and what not,” he said.
The event also had a panel comprising delegates from Spain, Singapore, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, and India, which presented global perspectives of film tourism and highlighted challenges and country-specific enablers for promoting destinations through films.
A Draft National Strategy for Film Tourism was also unveiled on the occasion.
Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, highlighted the importance of the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) in promoting film tourism. “FFO acts as a single window facilitation and clearance mechanism to ease filming in India and create a film-friendly ecosystem and promoting the country as a filming destination,” he added.
Lohita Sujith, Senior Director, Motion Pictures Association, in a side event on film tourism hosted as a part of the main event presented global perspectives on film tourism that can help India position itself in the domain. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, Secretary Tourism, J&K, set the context for the session on ‘The untapped potential of Film Tourism in promoting Incredible India’ highlighting the potential of the J&K for being the perfect destination for film shooting remarked about the need of a plan of action involving all stakeholders for implementing the policies adopted to position India as film tourism destination.
Bringing everyone together
Minga Sherpa, Director Information, J&K, presented highlights from the tourism policies adopted by the UT to ease the process of film shooting in the region. He highlighted the government has opened 300 locations across the UT as film shooting locations and made a single window system operational for hassle-free process for film shooting. Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Rajasthan, made a presentation and showcased key highlights from the state’s policy where they have streamlined the process to help get producers shooting permission within 15 days through a single clearance window. Sourabh Zamsingh Pardhi, Managing Director & Commissioner of Tourism, Gujarat, highlighted the development of better connectivity and logistic facilities offered by the state to the producers have gone a long way in encouraging film tourism in the state. Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, told the audience about the film festival hosted in Madhya Pradesh and a comfortable ecosystem developed for facilitating film shooting has been adopted through the policy. Sandra Carvao, Chief of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), made presentation on second draft of Goa Road map for Tourism as a vehicle of Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
