J&K to opt for brand tie-ups to make Kashmir world-class tourist destination
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir will go in for brand tie-ups to project Kashmir, knows as 'Paradise on Earth', as a tourist destination with global benchmarks. Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, said on Thursday that they will create elite facilities for high-spending visitors to the State. He also promised fast-track approvals for laying high-end tourism infrastructure and announced a ‘Single Window’ for projects’ clearance in a time-bound manner under one roof.
Emphasising upon the need to promote ‘Business with Ease’, Sayeed said his government will remove hurdles to facilitate brand tie-ups so that high-end intake capacity of the state, which is presently low, is substantially increased to draw overseas and top-class domestic visitors to the State. “A high-powered committee will be framed that will facilitate creation of brand infrastructure to attract international tourist footfall to the State,” he said.
While urging top stakeholders in tourism industry to employ talented local youth in their hospitality and human resource divisions, the Chief Minister said expansion of tourism infrastructure will create countless employment opportunities in the services sector. “Our youth are greatly talented in HR and Hospitality segments and I am sure they will do a fairly good job at the cutting-edge level,” he asserted.
In a bid to dovetail flavour of exquisite Kashmiri cuisines with the tourism industry, the Chief Minister asked for branding the food industry of Kashmir by opening a series of restaurants and eating points, which cater to the select market. The Institute of Hotel Management at Srinagar, he said, has the potential to vastly improve the food services’ sector that can supplement the State's travel industry. He also asked for organizing more food festivals across the country to showcase famed recipes like Wazwan (Kashmir's traditional cuisine).
The Chief Minister further called for a concerted effort to promote Jammu and Kashmir as a top-class golf destination with week-end and week-long packages. For this purpose, he asked for launching an organized publicity campaign saying "We already have a golf circuit at Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sidhra. We are exploring possibilities of laying new courses at Sonamarg, Sanasar and Yusmarg for which feasibility reports are being prepared." Mr. Sayeed added that Kashmir Golf Club (Srinagar), which is one of the oldest courses in the country, will also be refurbished to attract golf lovers.
He also said that he has prioritised the finalisation of the master-plans of Kashmir's premier resorts Gulmarg and Pahalgam and other such destinations so that development and improvement of resort infrastructure is taken up in a planned way without disturbing the ambiance of the surrounding environment. "We have to sell tourism as a wholesome package to high-end visitors as footfall from outside will considerably increase our internal revenue generation," he said.
On the occasion, Ahad Group of Hotels announced to establish a new chain of high-quality 5-star hotels in the State in collaboration with ITC. The Sarovar Group, the other major chain, is also planning to open high-end luxury hotels to improve intake capacity of top-class visitors in the State. Nedous', the oldest hotel in Srinagar established by a Scandinavian traveller, is also being developed as a world-class heritage hotel and the work on the project is expected to start soon.
