Ministry of Tourism

Mega tourism promotion event “Tapping the

Potential of Kashmir: Another Day in Paradise”
organized recently at Srinagar highlights tourism
potential of Jammu & Kashmir in a big way

Strategies to showcase best tourism products of

Jammu & Kashmir to attract domestic tourists
deliberated upon by the stakeholders at the event
Posted On: 18 APR 2021 12:12PM by PIB Delhi
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 Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of
Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha and Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture
(I/c)Shri 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, GoI 
Shri Arvind Singh; Adiviser to Lt. Governor of J&K, Mr Baseer Khan; Secretary Tourism,
Govt of Jammu & Kashmir Mr Sarmad Hafeez; Additional Director General,MoT, Smt.
Rupinder Brar and other senior officers were also present at the inaugural session.
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.
Addressing the gathering virtually during inaugural session Shri Manoj Sinha mentioned that
the UT of J&K will come out with a new policy on Film shooting to attract film makers and
promote the region as a hot spot film shooting destination.
Minister of State (IC) Tourism and Culture, Government of India, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel
mentioned that the abrogation of Article 370 and other subsequent development works has
given a big boost to tourist influx in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Advisor to the Lt. Governor, Government of Jammu & Kashmir,
Mr. Baseer Khan mentioned that it is encouraging to see that post lockdown the tourist
footfalls at the UT of Jammu & Kashmir has increased significantly and coming 3-4 months
during the summer season more tourists are expected to visit the destination. He also said that
his Government is planning a long list of new destinations that could be showcased to attract
more tourists.
Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Shri Arvind Singh said that they are
keeping no stones unturned to revive tourism for Jammu and Kashmir, the effort started from
the winter and the process will continue in summers especially for the domestic tourists.
Secretary- Tourism, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Sarmad Hafeez, on the occasion
highlighted some of the historical tourism sites in the region and their importance.
Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Smt. Rupinder Brar
mentioned that the rise of domestic tourism is the sign of revival and the conference will
deliberate upon the strategies to showcase best tourism products of Jammu & Kashmir to
attract domestic tourists.
Director -Tourism, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Dr. G.N. Itoo earlier made a
presentation to the audience showcasing various tourist destinations of Jammu & Kashmir.
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.
Ambassador of Vietnam H.E. Pham Sanh Chau who has been in various parts of the world
compared the various natural beauty of Kashmir with various other natural beauty of the
world incusing Canada, Switzerland, other parts of Europe, Vietnam and many more. As per
him ,one can find the beauty of the entire world in Kashmir itself.
High Commissioner of Kenya His Excellency Willy Kipkorir Bett and Spouse of High
Commissioner of Kenya Her Excellency Faith Jemvtai Bett both were completely
overwhelmed with the Royal springs Golf course of Srinagar and mentioned it as a world
class Golf destination. Her Excellency Bett also mentioned that she has become a great fan of
Kashmiri cuisines. She specifically mentioned that she will try out a few dishes at home.
Ambassador of Georgia H.E. Archil was overwhelmed by the beauty of Gulmarg and he
enjoyed Skiing during his visit to Gulmarg. He mentioned the slopes at Gulmarg are ideal for
skiing and is one of the best in the world.
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NB/OA

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