L-G Sinha assures tourists safe, pleasant, memorable visit to J&K

Extending an invitation to the holiday-makers to visit Jammu and Kashmir, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday said his administration assures tourists a safe, pleasant and memorable visit to the 'paradise on earth'.

He said the tourism sector in the union territory is getting back on track with the increasing tourist influx.

“I assure the tourists across the globe a safe, pleasant and memorable visit to J&K, the paradise on earth. Come and witness the scenic beauty, rich culture and heritage of J&K,” the Lt Governor said attending the closing ceremony of Pahalgam winter carnival thorough virtual mode from here.

In his address, Sinha congratulated the Tourism Department and other stakeholders for the successful conduct of the two-day long carnival and providing opportunities to the local artists to display their talent in various fields.

“Footfall of tourists has increased manifold in the last three months. Local community and stakeholders must come together to ensure the development of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Laying emphasis on taking innovative measures for the promotion of the tourism sector and tapping its immense potential, the Lt Governor directed the tourism department for putting concerted efforts on promoting sustainable destinations and developing unexplored places of tourism potential while branding J&K in the international tourism circuit.

“We should never forget that every tourist destination has its own strengths and all we need to do is to focus on involving local communities, creating sustainable tourism and addressing the needs of tourists,” he said.

Underlining the significance of optimum utilisation of new technologies and various modern tools of communication, Sinha called for regular updates on social media and websites of departments and agencies, besides promoting places of tourism through small promotional videos.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, J&K has witnessed a huge rise in tourists' footfall with the administration following all the Covid-related SoPs and testing at all tourist arrival places, he said.

While speaking on various potential areas of the tourism sector, the Lt Governor said the UT administration is putting up committed efforts to make J&K the most favourite destination of filmmakers which will also go a long way in giving a fillip to the socio-economic development of the region.

Sinha directed the tourism department to work on broader framework and explore possibilities to conduct a programme on lines of the 'Dekho Apna Desh', besides imparting training to local tourist guides.

He stressed on making strategic planning which is imperative for bringing competitiveness in regional development and destination.

“Like Gulmarg, Pahalgam also has huge potential for adventure tourism. Other places of tourism potential in the UT need to be promoted through various platforms,” he said.

Sinha said the tourism department, local community, artists, and other stakeholders are together providing an attractive environment for the tourists coming to J&K.

“The way we have made a successful comeback in the tourism sector, more favourable results can be witnessed in coming days,” he said.