Srinagar, Jul 18: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Friday chaired the maiden meeting of Confederation of Indian Industry Northern Regional Committee on tourism and hospitality held in Srinagar to discuss the strategic interventions on revival of tourism and position J&K as global tourism hub.
Advisor to CM Nasir Aslam Aslam Wani and MLA Gulmarg Farooq Ahmed Shah were present in the meeting.
While addressing the meeting, the Dy CM highlighted several key points on boosting tourism growth through collaboration and value-added verticals in Jammu and Kashmir. He maintained that the government intended to position J&K as a premier 365-Day destination beyond seasons. He urged the CII to support the government in shifting focus from summer/winter peaks to year-round tourism through curated experiences.
“Tourism and Kashmir are inter -related in such a way that one can’t be described in absence of other. It is not like that tourism in Kashmir is for a particular season but round the year. Every season has its own significance” he added.
The Dy CM said that the CII has been working closely with government on policy issues, enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and expanding business opportunities for the industry through a range of specialised services and global linkages. He urged the CII to come forward with a special focus on tourism, handloom and handicrafts, adventure sports and skill development to explore more possibilities of campaigning and awareness about high scope in J&K.
The Dy CM stated that our partnership with CII will unlock sustainable growth, generate employment and showcase our cultural heritage to the world. He reiterated that the government is taking all steps to boost tourism in J&K with special focus on enhancing the infrastructure, diversifying tourism offerings, promoting safety and security besides engaging the local communities.
While speaking on the occasion, the Advisor to CM said that CII with its National and International connects should help government in targeting niche markets for sustainable growth and higher tourist spending. He invited the CII members and industry at large to promote J&K on MICE Tourism map and suggest ways to further strengthen the tourism infrastructure in J&K.
Highlighting the importance of handlooms and handicrafts, the Dy CM suggested showcasing them through live demonstrations, craft village tours, and immersive shopping experiences to captivate audiences.” He asserted that J&K is famous for its rich culture and heritage and one of our endeavours should be reviving folk festivals, sufi music circuits, heritage walks in Srinagar/Jammu.
MLA Gulmarg, Farooq Ahmed Shah, emphasized that adventure sports can be a key driver for tourism promotion, suggesting that Gulmarg and Pahalgam be leveraged to host national and international adventure sports competitions.
He further said that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) is also one area where government and CII could jointly work and develop specialized infrastructure like adventure parks, wellness centers, heritage hotels via transparent PPP models. He also suggested to explore possibility of joint marketing campaigns with airlines, hotel chains and travel aggregators and empower the local cooperatives for homestay, guided tours and artisans markets.
Earlier, Chairman CII Northern Regional Committee on Tourism & Hospitality, K.B Kachru, highlighted the agenda of the meeting which mainly included police interventions, yearly action plan, tourism review of northern states, skill development, capacity building and flagship schemes.
He said that CII took a conscious decision to hold its first regional committee on tourism meeting in Srinagar to send a message to larger industry that we must promote J&K at this juncture. He reiterated that CII and its members would like to contribute in overall tourism development of this region. “Our priority is to drive policy reforms, sustainable practices, and public-private synergies” he added.
Lastly, Chairman CII J&K, Dr. M.A Alim, while presenting the vote of thanks, said that J&K government and CII will soon roll out certain initiatives to further boost growth in this sector.
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