Jammu & Kashmir, one of the most picturesque destinations in the country is focusing on golf, adventure and conference tourism besides religious tourism.
Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Farooq A Shah, managing director, J&K Tourism Development Corporation and director – Tourism Kashmir, Government of Jammu & Kashmir said, “J&K is one of the most preferred tourism destinations in the country and we really do not have any competitors in terms of tourism”. Allaying fears of terror perpetrated by terrorists from cross-borders, Shah added, “It is true that the problem of terrorism is prevalent in some pockets of the state but till now they have not orchestrated any attack / kidnapped any tourists visiting the state. The state’s police administration is there to deal firmly with them.” He claimed that J&K is as safe as any other part of the country and the tourists are safe and will remain safe in the state. The crime rate in the state is quite low compared to other parts of the country.
Shah said, “Let’s not discuss about violence and terrorism all the time and urged the media to highlight positive aspects. Like this year no untoward incident has been reported against the on-going Amarnath Yatra in the state.”
The managing director also urged the tourists to visit the state during the ensuing festive season and claimed that things have been fully restored after the devastating floods caused havoc in the state earlier this year. Shah headed a team of tour operators, hoteliers and travel-agents who visited the city to take part in a tourism exposition and a road-show.
Shah said, “The State Government under the able leadership of the chief minister, Janab Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who also holds the Tourism portfolio, is aggressively promoting the state at different national and international travel fairs, expositions to attract tourists.”
“We have three distinct regions in the state, Jammu is famous for religious tourism at Vaishno Devi. Kashmir has its unique charm and is an ultimate leisure destination while Ladakh in the extreme north is well-known for adventure tourism. The State Government is focusing on these three aspects of tourism,” he added.
“We are now promoting golf tourism in a big manner. We have created a lot of golfing infrastructure – three to four golfing courses including an 18-hole golf course in Jammu. This is a new product that we are trying to promote,” said another senior tourism department official.
He said that adventure tourism which includes trekking, biking, river rafting are also being promoted.