In order to promote the various Tourism potentials of Jammu & Kashmir and to address the various opportunities in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India & Department of Tourism, Government Of Jammu & Kashmir in association with FICCI (Knowledge Partner), and IGTA organised a unique networking platform ‘Tapping the Tourism Potential of Kashmir: Another Day in Paradise’ recently at Srinagar.
The event received participation from who’s who from the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality sector, key Industry stakeholders and Policy makers from Kashmir and various parts of India.
A special event of one to one B2B meetings was also organized among key industry stake holders from Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Industry of Jammu and Kashmir and the delegates from rest of India at Srinagar. The meetings were attended by local tour operators, hoteliers, houseboat owners, transport companies and other key stake holders of Travel, Tourism & Hospitality from Kashmir as Sellers. The buyers included top notch Tour operators, DMC’s, Film personalities, Eco tourism specialists from various parts of India.
The Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha and Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated and virtually addressed the delegates at the event. The objective of the event was to showcase the myriad tourism products of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and promote tourism to Jammu & Kashmir as the destination for leisure, Adventure, Eco, Wedding, films and MICE Tourism. Secretary Tourism, Arvind Singh; Adviser to Lt. Governor of J&K, Baseer Khan; Secretary Tourism, Govt of Jammu & Kashmir Sarmad Hafeez; Additional Director General, MoT, Rupinder Brar and other senior officers were also present at the inaugural session.
During plenary session on “Taking Kashmir to the next level as a preferred tourist Destination” the experts touched upon on various strategies on how best in a post pandemic world the tourists visit can be increased in the region. In other session on “Making Kashmir more eventful” the panel touched upon the Wedding, MICE and Film Tourism potential of Kashmir. In another session on “Showcasing the diverse Tourism products of Kashmir” the experts debated on the various niche tourism potentials of Kashmir including Culture, Heritage, Film, Leisure & Golf Tourism.
In the session “Wazwan, Zaffran, and Shikara – the story continues…” the experts said that Kashmir should not be mentioned as a “Restricted Area” for any Foreign Tourists. Global experts can be consulted to develop Tourism in Kashmir. International destinations similar to Kashmir like Switzerland etc should be seen as a case study for the betterment of Tourism in Kashmir. To promote Kashmir as a Culinary tourism destination, separate visual strategies like a logo, video , images etc. related to food and cuisines should be considered.
To promote the Gastronomical Heritage of Kashmir the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India organized live cooking classes with Master Chef India winner and celebrity Chef Pankaj Bhadouria & Chef Ranveer Brar. Both the Chefs visited and procured ingredients from the local market of Srinagar and gave live demonstrations of their cooking skills in Kashmiri cuisine to delegates and students of the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) Srinagar. The objective of the session was aimed at promoting the local culinary & cuisines of Kashmir to the rest of India and the world.
An Exhibition of various Kashmiri garments, embroideries and food were organized at the conference venue. Along with this there was a Shikara and boat ride at Dal Lake for the delegates, which was followed by a beautiful Laser Show cum musical fountain at the Dal lake. The laser show project , which is now is permanent feature at the SKICC in Dal Lake, has been funded by the Ministry of Tourism.
The Tulip garden of Kashmir is a unique tourism site which has featured in several Bollywood films has the potential of attracting tourists from all over the world. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about 30 hectares. It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake. The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley. The best time to visit the Tulip Garden is between March-end and early April.
To promote Kashmir as an International Golf Tourism destination and to showcase the world class Golf Infrastructure of Kashmir, a Golf Tournament was organized at the Royal Spring Golf Course between the delegation of Golfers from various parts of India and local Golfers from Srinagar which was followed by an Award ceremony.
Kashmir has the potential to become India’s top and World’s one of the leading Golf Tourism destinations. Jammu & Kashmir offers outstanding opportunities for golf players all through the summer (April to November). Golfing in Jammu and Kashmir is always a delight and one of the main attractions among the tourists.
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