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J-K eager to play host to international tourists
New Delhi, Nov 07: After bouncing back in the domestic tourism sector, Jammu and Kashmir government is now poised to woo foreign visitors by highlighting the scenic splendour during an international tourism meet in London beginning this weekend.
New Delhi, Nov 07: After bouncing back in the domestic tourism sector, Jammu and Kashmir government is now poised to woo foreign visitors by highlighting the scenic splendour during an international tourism meet in London beginning this weekend.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will lead a six-member high-level delegation of the state to the four-day meet on Sunday to sell tourist destinations at the international forum, state government sources said here today.
The state will showcase pilgrim destination of Vaishno Devi and other tourist spots including Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, they said.
The government will seek to assuage fears of the international travellers on the security front and ask the tour operators to assess the situation while visiting the state, the sources said.
The delegation, which also includes state's Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, will cite the increase in domestic tourist inflow to back its argument of the situation being "not that bad" for travellers.
The delegation will cite the inflow of about 1.75 lakh tourists to Kashmir valley besides over one lakh travellers to Amarnath pilgrimage this year, highest since militancy erupted in the state in 1989.
Although domestic tourist flow to Kashmir has increased, many foreigners are still not travelling because of fear, which has been compounded by travel advisories of various countries against a visit to the valley.
The Inter-State Council meeting in Srinagar, besides visits by President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, 300 MPs and foreign delegations will contribute to convince international community to visit Kashmir valley, the sources said.
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the 20 states participating in the international trade mart.
By attracting tourists and reviving the tourism industry, which is the backbone of the state, the government is seeking to promote developmental activities in the state, they said.
The state government has already launched a sustained campaign within the country to woo tourists.
Tourism industry in the state had received a serious setback after eruption of militancy in 1989 with the tourist inflow dropping sharply from seven lakh in 1988 to a few thousand in the subsequent years.
It showed signs of recovery in 1999 when over a lakh tourists visited the state before the Kargil conflict broke.
The state will showcase pilgrim destination of Vaishno Devi and other tourist spots including Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, they said.
The government will seek to assuage fears of the international travellers on the security front and ask the tour operators to assess the situation while visiting the state, the sources said.
The delegation, which also includes state's Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, will cite the increase in domestic tourist inflow to back its argument of the situation being "not that bad" for travellers.
The delegation will cite the inflow of about 1.75 lakh tourists to Kashmir valley besides over one lakh travellers to Amarnath pilgrimage this year, highest since militancy erupted in the state in 1989.
Although domestic tourist flow to Kashmir has increased, many foreigners are still not travelling because of fear, which has been compounded by travel advisories of various countries against a visit to the valley.
The Inter-State Council meeting in Srinagar, besides visits by President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, 300 MPs and foreign delegations will contribute to convince international community to visit Kashmir valley, the sources said.
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the 20 states participating in the international trade mart.
By attracting tourists and reviving the tourism industry, which is the backbone of the state, the government is seeking to promote developmental activities in the state, they said.
The state government has already launched a sustained campaign within the country to woo tourists.
Tourism industry in the state had received a serious setback after eruption of militancy in 1989 with the tourist inflow dropping sharply from seven lakh in 1988 to a few thousand in the subsequent years.
It showed signs of recovery in 1999 when over a lakh tourists visited the state before the Kargil conflict broke.