Tourism department raises awareness about policy initiatives, investment opportunities in J-K

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 16 : Special Secretary of Tourism, Amarjeet Singh, participated in the 18th Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA) at Bengaluru, as part of the delegation of Ministry of Tourism, led by Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy, said an official release on Sunday.

HICSA is an annual event that brings together a diverse range of participants from the hospitality, real estate and investment industries including hotel owners, operators, investors, financiers, developers, architects, consultants, and other professionals from South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to promote the development of new business opportunities and investment partnerships.

According to the release, the UT administration under the guidance of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, plans to make appropriate policy interventions to create investment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.

The aim of policy interventions is to create new infrastructure facilities and upgrade the existing ones through private participation for the overall growth of the tourism sector to generate more employment opportunities, added the release.

Informing about the preparations for upscaling tourism in UT, the release said, "To achieve the objective, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department is all geared up to upscale its activities and open up new verticals for which active engagement between the stakeholders from JandK and other states/UTs shall be orgzed on regular basis in all the regions of the country."

"In this regard, the department headed by Secretary Tourism, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, carried forward the promotional campaign in the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu regarding the diverse tourism products, newly launched 300 destinations including off beat destinations, trekking routes, religious circuits, arts and crafts, new initiatives and policies of the UT administration, particularly regarding the investment opportunities and the investible projects," added the release.

"On the sidelines of the main summit, round table meetings were held by the delegation with the Industry partners to understand the challenges faced by them," added the release.

Quoting the tourist numbers, Union Minister appreciated the unprecedented growth of the Tourism Sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

Through individual networking sessions, potential investors were informed about the policy initiatives and investment opportunities in view of the Industry status according to the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the exponential growth in the Tourism Sector in the UT.

As per the release, networking sessions with the stakeholders in Tourism and Hospitality Sector were conducted in the state of Tamil Nadu as well. The visiting officer reached out to the travel partners at Highland Accord resort in Ooty and interacted with the delegation led by President Nilgiri Hotel and Restaurant Association and others regarding the best responsible Tourism practices in the Nilgiri District, where a complete ban on the use of polythene, plastic water bottles and other kinds of single-use plastic has been successfully implemented.

"Hotels are not providing any plastic bottles, and instead filtered RO water is being used in glass bottles. The demand for drinking water at public and tourist places is being met through Water ATMs," added the release.

Civil society members and people in the travel business are collectively engaged in enforcement to promote responsible tourism practices for the sustainability of the Tourism Industry in Nilgiris.

Discussions were also held with members of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India regarding Adventure activities. The officer also visited the Adventure parks, the wax Museum, the Camera museum and other attractions.

The delegation interacted with the operators about the feasibility and sustainability of these projects. The operators informed that with the setting up of Adventure parks and museums, the tourism activity has increased in the area and the stay of the visitors got extended.

Adventure tour operators have been informed about the potential and Investment opportunities for setting up similar facilities in Jammu and Kashmir where incentives are available for setting up such projects.

The officer also visited a sustainable project Doddabetta Tea factory, where the local produce (tea) of the area is being popularized through showcasing the live processing of tea making, setting up of a tea museum depicting the history of the legendary origin of tea and its journey to India and other parts of the world and sale of authentic local products providing job opportunities to more than 100 local people.

Another networking event was held in Hotel Residency Tower at Coimbatore where the Travel bodies led by the President, the Travel Agents Association of Coimbatore, K. Bharathi, immediate past president, B. Selvaraju, and others participated.