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Tourism revival not sign of return to normalcy: J-K CM
The coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir is celebrating the culmination of a bumper tourist season that witnessed more than 1.3 million domestic and foreign arrivals but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was quick to warn against misconstruing the trend as a sign of normalcy or “resolution of problems”.
“The revival of tourism should not be equated with normalcy as the two possess different parameters to be judged”, Omar Abdullah said at a seminar organised by hoteliers and restaurant associations here.
The tourism industry received a major boost in Kashmir as tens of thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign, arrived here throughout all seasons. Hundreds of tourists are seen in capital Srinagar and famous health resorts of Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg despite chilly weather and snowfall setting in on the upper reaches.
The Chief Minister sought to balance his economic and political outlook over the issue of tourist arrivals and return of normalcy. “The tourist flow is merely an economic activity and should be seen in that perspective only. Visiting of large number of visitors do not substantiate that no problem has left unsolved in the State”, he said. “The two (issues) have different genesis and cannot be equated at all”, he elaborated.
The increased number of tourist arrivals has revived economic activity as several allied sectors also witnessed a forward movement.
Omar Abdullah said that arrival of about 1.3 million visitors to the Valley indicates the substantial upward trend in tourist interest to visit the Valley during all seasons. “In fact, visitors witness diverse and varied aspects of natural beauty in Valley during all seasons”, he said and asked the players associated with tourism to create befitting facilities for the tourists visiting the State. “Up to the mark service delivery by all stakeholders in the sector holds key to rope in conventional and high-end tourists in the State”, he said and stressed on upgrading the status of services and facilities for the visitors visiting in the State round the year.
The Chief Minister said that income augmentation and generation of direct and indirect employment by tourism sector along-with impetus to the handicrafts, handlooms and transport sectors, underline the significance of holistic and sustained development of this sector in the State. He said the potential of adventure, heritage, pilgrim and sports tourism in the State has widening the spectrum of infrastructure development and showcasing of specific areas in this regard. He said the concept of eco-tourism and creation of tourist circuits for the tourist of wide-ranging interests is emerging as an important economic intervention in the development of modern tourism.
Speaking on the occasion Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that greatest component of sustainable tourism is peace. He lauded the state government’s efforts to sustain peace and normalcy in the State.
The coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir is celebrating the culmination of a bumper tourist season that witnessed more than 1.3 million domestic and foreign arrivals but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was quick to warn against misconstruing the trend as a sign of normalcy or “resolution of problems”.
“The revival of tourism should not be equated with normalcy as the two possess different parameters to be judged”, Omar Abdullah said at a seminar organised by hoteliers and restaurant associations here.
The tourism industry received a major boost in Kashmir as tens of thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign, arrived here throughout all seasons. Hundreds of tourists are seen in capital Srinagar and famous health resorts of Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg despite chilly weather and snowfall setting in on the upper reaches.
The Chief Minister sought to balance his economic and political outlook over the issue of tourist arrivals and return of normalcy. “The tourist flow is merely an economic activity and should be seen in that perspective only. Visiting of large number of visitors do not substantiate that no problem has left unsolved in the State”, he said. “The two (issues) have different genesis and cannot be equated at all”, he elaborated.
The increased number of tourist arrivals has revived economic activity as several allied sectors also witnessed a forward movement.
Omar Abdullah said that arrival of about 1.3 million visitors to the Valley indicates the substantial upward trend in tourist interest to visit the Valley during all seasons. “In fact, visitors witness diverse and varied aspects of natural beauty in Valley during all seasons”, he said and asked the players associated with tourism to create befitting facilities for the tourists visiting the State. “Up to the mark service delivery by all stakeholders in the sector holds key to rope in conventional and high-end tourists in the State”, he said and stressed on upgrading the status of services and facilities for the visitors visiting in the State round the year.
The Chief Minister said that income augmentation and generation of direct and indirect employment by tourism sector along-with impetus to the handicrafts, handlooms and transport sectors, underline the significance of holistic and sustained development of this sector in the State. He said the potential of adventure, heritage, pilgrim and sports tourism in the State has widening the spectrum of infrastructure development and showcasing of specific areas in this regard. He said the concept of eco-tourism and creation of tourist circuits for the tourist of wide-ranging interests is emerging as an important economic intervention in the development of modern tourism.
Speaking on the occasion Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that greatest component of sustainable tourism is peace. He lauded the state government’s efforts to sustain peace and normalcy in the State.
