TravTalk India Online Magazine
Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Tourism, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, is all geared up to take tourism to the next level in the state which is often dubbed ‘Paradise on Earth’ by encouraging travel agents and associations to hold events and conventions in the state.
KANCHAN NATH
Buoyed by the various tourism events lined up in the Valley in the coming months, Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, invites discerning travellers, tourism stakeholders and travel agents to experience the state at its best.
“Industry stakeholders are constantly looking for ways to break down cultural barriers and provide guests with the most pleasant experiences. My state has had its share of hardships, but I’m sure the worst is over. We are on our way to expand the tourism sector and are looking towards positive exchanges of concrete ideas in promotion of tourism and cultural ties between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the world. I would like to invite you all to visit its various tourism facets. If you want to judge our hospitality, just crawl though the visitors’ books of any of our houseboats, the reviews are genuine and not cooked up,” Sethi said.
Noting that for the state government, tourism is not merely a means of generating revenue but a way to ensure development and sustainability pivoted on Kashmiri culture and creative art. According to Sethi, the state government is immensely concerned about the safety and security of tourists. “Law and order and safety is a state subject and I’d like to inform you that our Ministry has formulated a set of guidelines for the safety and security of tourists. We are working on setting up a 24×7 line as well. We are going through trial runs with our new interactive website and mobile Apps which will enable tourists to access information on J&K at the click of a button. Our endeavour is to make Jammu & Kashmir a preferred destination,” Sethi said.
We are working on setting up a 24×7 line as well. We are going through trial runs with our new interactive website and mobile Apps which will enable tourists to access information on J&K at the click of a button. Our endeavour is to make Jammu & Kashmir a preferred destination
The Jammu & Kashmir Government has recently come up with a film showcasing the various tourism offerings in the state and feedback from tourists. “Kashmir has it all – heritage, culture and natural beauty with myriad trekking sites. It’s truly a paradise on earth. We had recently gone to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad and it was sad to know that people did not know about the real Jammu and Kashmir,” Sethi rued.
Enlisting the various tourist activities that the state has to offer, Sethi said, “If you talk of religious tourism, Jammu offers many an opportunity. If you talk about MiCE, Kashmir has numerous golf courses. There are beautiful trekking routes, difficult as well as easy, we want to explore the same. Our target is to get more tourists into the state and for the same we have been meeting people, attending roadshows, seminars and interactions with the media.” The tourism department is in talks with travel trade and other state tourism boards to generate awareness and sign MoUs to attract more tourists.
Talking about new tourism products, Sethi added, “In terms of horticulture, we have the best of apple orchards, we are encouraging tourists to ‘pick their own apples’. We are coming up with a Sound and Light show at the Dal Lake. There is also talk of developing border tourism in certain areas.”
