HM Desk
Jammu and Kashmir received lakhs of tourists this year, but the administration is expecting still that the arrivals will breach the two crore-mark this year.
“Year on year and month on month, we have received more tourists this year compared to previous year. We are ensuring that all domestic and international tourists have a memorable stay in Jammu and Kashmir,” tourism department secretary Abid Rashid Shah said recently.
“It is the responsibility of all stakeholders of the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir to make it a warm and hospitable destination for all visitors,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir received 1.88 crore tourists in 2022, a high enough number for any region, but the administration is expecting still that the arrivals will breach the two crore-mark this year.
Promotion of tourism is a very critical task undertaken by the Department of Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. We are slightly modifying the methods of promotion. Earlier we used to have road shows, we are continuing with that road shows and promotions and major travel marts.
However, with changing times it’s also important to department and intervention by way of promotion change, this is the era of digital marketing, and this is the era of online marketing. We are doing that, and we are starting virtual tours. We are doing airline promotions so that frequent flyers can be attracted.
Outside of the country, there are various trade travel marts that take place, JK tourism department is going to participate in these in a big way, and one in Dubai had a positive response. We are focussing on those countries where we believe that they will come, southeast Asian countries are a huge market for us and we are focussing on that. The Middle East is a core focus area and a target too. The Northern American continent is a very important aspect of our promotional activities..
Kashmir was one of the favourite destinations of foreign tourists in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. With the start of the insurgency, the numbers fell drastically. And now with peace returning to Kashmir Valley, the foreign tourists are yet again flocking to the ‘Paradise on Earth’.
