Infrastructure development must for promoting tourist potential of JK

Underlining the of providing world class services to the tourists Minister for Tourism & Culture, Nawang Rigzin Jora has said that the State Tourism infrastructure needs further impetus to make it at par with other tourist attracting States of the country. He said that professional tour operators and area specific agents need to be roped in so as to promote brand Kashmir at national as well as International level.
Jora said this while addressing the Annual General Meet of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)-J&K Chapter, here today.
The annual meet was attended by Minister of State for Tourism, Housing & Urban Development, PHE, Revenue & Relief, Nasir Aslam Wani, Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Tanveer Jehan, Director Tourism Kashmir, Farooq Ahmed Shah and other office bearers of TAAI.
Stressing the need to further explore possibilities of domestic tourism, the Minister said that State has vast potential for tourism and domestic tourist market has to be tapped professionally so that the State becomes more attractive to domestic tourists. He further said that domestic markets need to be developed on modern lines by participating in area specific fairs, promotional tours. He said that he would personally visit these places along with team of his officers to assess the possibilities needed for promoting the sector.
Jora called upon local entrepreneurs to come forward in developing new tourist destinations like Dodhpathari, Gurez and Bungus known for unparallel tourism potential. He said that tourism department would work as a facilitator to rope in private sector to promote tourist potential of the State which would help the economy to get fillip besides addressing the burgeoning unemployment problem. He said that the Tourism Department will work with other concerned departments to provide basic infrastructure at these new destinations.
Deliberating on the issue of developing world class facilities for the tourists, the Minister said that a lot more needs to be done for developing in house capacity of local hotels, guest houses and other service providers. He said that the resource gap needs to be plugged so as to make visit to Kashmir an experience of life time.
Responding to the demands put forth by the TAAI, Jora said that genuine issues of the association would be taken up with concerned quarters adding that the government will work in tandem with private parties working in tourism sector of the State to take the sector to new heights. He also called upon TAAI to act as a self regulatory body for improving services and facilities in the State Tourism Sector.