STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: After registering a record tourist footfall this year-mainly in leisure and adventure tourism- as a result of sustained efforts of the Tourism Department and the stakeholders during the last two years, Jammu & Kashmir, is opening to MICE tourism.
Over the past couple of months many corporate delegations have visited Kashmir and many more are planned for the coming seasons. These days executives from travel giant Make My Trip and other travel companies are in the Valley with their clients-numbering in hundreds-from the corporate world.
Yesterday a group of these executives met the Secretary, Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez and briefed him about their activities and future plans.
Assuring all support and handholding from the Department and the tourism stakeholders, the Tourism Secretary informed the delegation that J&K now has all adequate infrastructure, services and tourism product range, matching the best in the country, required for MICE tourism.
The Tourism Secretary informed the delegation that the Department is working in a holistic manner to attract tourists in all segments through a whole range of promotions, road shows, events besides introduction of new adventure activities and destinations to sustain the interest of visitors.
Sarmad Hafeez told the delegation about the inclusion of 75 offbeat destinations to the tourist map of and throwing open of new trekking routes across the UT. He advised the delegation to take their corporate clients to these destinations and treks so that they get the unique experience and the MICE tourism here also gets a push. The Tourism Secretary told the delegation that the Department is giving thrust to niche tourism products like Golfing, angling, trekking, bird watching etc to attract the attention of corporate clientele. He said currently many festivals and events are being held by the Department at various tourist destinations across the UT and simultaneously many promotional events, travel marts and road shows are being held across the country to woo the tourists. He assured them that besides other segments of tourism, the Department is actively concentrating on MICE tourism and sought their suggestions in this regard.
The delegation evinced keen interest in the measures taken by the Department and the tourism product range put out for the niche clientele. They hoped that in the coming seasons they would be in a position to bring more and more MICE groups here for tourism.
