STATE TIMES NEWS
MUMBAI: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Thursday said he has a vision to promote Gulmarg as India’s Davos where country’s top business and policymakers can hold annual summits.
“Gulmarg is a world-famous tourist destination. We have state-of-the-art cable car, high-end hotels, skiing and heli-skiing activities and great road connectivity. I wish we host Indian Davos at Gulmarg,” Sayeed said during an interactive session with prominent tour and travel operators of the country here.
He was accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister, Nirmal Singh and Minister for Finance and Culture, Haseeb A. Drabu.
Drawing a parallel between Davos in Switzerland, which holds annual summits of World Economic Forum (WEF), and Gulmarg, Sayeed said the Valley’s premier resort has all the required paraphernalia to host the countries business and policymakers for similar economic summits.
Unveiling his plans to reposition Jammu and Kashmir as country’s top tourist and all-season destination, Sayeed sought cooperation from all to change the course of the State and remove the trust deficit.
Terming the tour operators as the lifeline of JK Tourism, the Chief Minister also sought support of all behind-the-scene players to restore it to its original glory of being country’s top tourist destination.
He said the tourism sector had drifted away and with able support from premier tour operators of the country, it will be paddled back to
shores of its brilliant past.
“J&K, right through the sixties to late eighties, remained country’s premier film shooting and nature tourism destination,” he added. He said besides the huge influx of pilgrim tourists to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine at Katra, steps have been taken to promote Jammu as an independent tourist destination.
“We can have travel and trade conferences at Patnitop and Bhadarwah. Jammu has a rich cultural history, a piece of which I saw for myself few days back when I visited Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex few days back,” he said describing the State as a bouquet of three distinct cultures that comes on one platter.
Acknowledging the role of tour and travel players in promoting J and K, especially through the recent difficult times, Sayeed said the State needs to be projected on a much bigger canvas as it offers diversity in culture, rich heritage, range of climates from the sub-tropical terrains of Jammu to the cold deserts of Ladakh, and the stunning locales of Kashmir.
“I thank the tour operators of Maharashtra and Gujarat who reposed faith in us through the hard times of early and mid Nineties,” the Chief Minister said, adding various steps have been taken to go for infrastructure upgrade in the State.
The Chief Minister told the participants of the government’s plans to go in for public-private participation through tourism sector by making available public assets for private use.
Promising to end the culture of red-tape and bureaucratic impediments, Sayeed assured the tour operators of doing business with ease in J and K.
“This season you will definitely find a discernible change in how you are facilitated,” he stated.
Asserting that Kashmir’s enchanting beauty has mesmerised travellers for centuries, the Chief Minister said the flow of tourists, especially foreigners, to Ladakh, has grown considerably over the last few decades.
Highlighting the potential of Ranjit Sagar Dam, border tourism of Suchetgarh, Baglihar Dam and upcoming International Yoga Centre at Mantalai in Jammu region, Sayeed said the tourists will be surprised to find new and equally stunning and unexplored destinations lined up in their itinerary this season.
Sayeed termed his State as an adventurer’s dream destination saying Jammu and Kashmir has more than 2,100 high-altitude lakes, several unnamed and unclimbed peaks in Karakoram and Kishtwar Himalayas which can be highlighted to attract ardent mountaineers and climbers to the Himalayan State.
He called upon the tour operators to encourage the educational institutions to formulate packages for youth and children. J and K Government will be their partners in this endeavour.
“Please emphasise on adventure tourism. Youth need to be inspired to go to the high mountains. This way they will explore their country better,” he added.
Seeking cooperation from tour operators in becoming partners in J and K’s tourism sector, Sayeed also highlighted the huge potential of J and K in Conference and Golf Tourism, which can be offered to corporate and business sectors of the country.
The Chief Minister said the world-famous Dal Lake will be promoted as a world heritage site and steps are being taken to realign the houseboats to improve the aesthetics of the lake and ensure proper sewage disposal.
On a specific query from a tour operator, he said the government will classify the existing boats into different categories so that the visitors are able to enjoy their stay as per the category they have paid for.
The Chief Minister said the new government would formulate a strategy to motivate overseas tour operators for organising foreign tourist groups to Kashmir which is as safe as any other destination in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister said J and K offers tourists a complete package that comes along with pilgrim and heritage tourism of Jammu, nature tourism of Kashmir and adventure tourism of Ladakh. He made a specific mention of Sindhu Darshan at Leh, which attracts a large number of national and overseas pilgrims and visitors.
While replying to a question, Minister for Finance Haseeb A. Drabu called for conceptualizing a business-cum-pleasure package for country’s 4,000 leading companies. He said the State offers the right environs for conference and convention tourism. He said attractive golf packages for high-end tourists will also be framed.
On the issue of high cost of travel to Kashmir, Drabu said the State Government is planning chartered flights in peak season to offer fair rates to the travellers. He said the Government has also taken up the issue of night-landing facility for airline carriers at Srinagar Airport. “Special trains from Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai and several other places are also being planned to increase footfall of domestic tourists,” he added.
