BJP Tourism Cell JKUT meets Director, Joint Director Tourism Dept, highlights pilgrims places in Jammu
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Ravi Bakshi, the convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tourism Cell in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (JKUT), led a delegation to meet Director Vivekanand Rai and Joint Director Sunaina Sharma Mehta of the Tourism Department in Jammu.
The delegation aimed to highlight issues faced by tourists and discuss measures to improve their experience. Accompanying Bakshi were District Convenor Aditya Gupta, Co-Convenor Charan Preet Singh Bagga, and Ravi Kant from Udhampur.
Ravi Bakshi emphasized the significance of tourism as the largest and fastest-growing industry in JKUT, which provides an opportunity for people to understand the culture, civilization, and religious aspects of the region. He pointed out that Jammu serves as a crucial point for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi and for those traveling to Kashmir, Poonch, Doda, and Ladakh.
Bakshi stressed the need for better promotion of tourist spots in Jammu through various media channels to attract pilgrims. Bakshi advocated for comprehensive tourism planning in the Jammu region, taking into account the needs of both local residents and tourists.
He mentioned that the District Tourism Cell teams of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, and Udhampur had personally visited several tourist spots to assess their potential and suggested that the tourism department ensure smooth connectivity to these locations.
He highlighted several notable tourist attractions in the region, including the world’s highest railway bridge in Jammu, the Gondola in Maha Maya Mandir with Bahu Fort, Bagh-e-Bahu with Bawe Wali Mata, Ranbireshwar Temple, Raghunath Mandir with Mubarak Mandi, and Parmandal, known as Chhota Kashi. Other attractions mentioned were Natha Top, Patnitop, Nandini Wildlife Sanctuary, Mansar Lake, Surinsar Lake, Akhnoor Fort, Tawi Herbal Garden, More Garh Fort, and the wetland at the border area where foreign birds are observed.
Bakshi also noted the potential of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Kathua districts as tourist destinations, with their picturesque beauty, natural water streams, and mesmerizing topography.
He mentioned that the hilly terrains surrounding Ramnagar, Basantgarh, Dudu, Latti, Sudhmaha Dev, and Mantalai could provide tourists with alternative places to visit while boosting the economy of the residents in these backward areas.
The JKUT BJP Tourism Cell submitted a list of tourist spots to the Director of Tourism for planning, with the aim of promoting Jammu as a favorite tourist destination.
This initiative is expected to provide livelihood opportunities to many residents of Jammu, especially with the region anticipating more than 17 million tourists this season.
