Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 30: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today directed Tourism Department to explore creation of ‘Smart Tourist Destinations’ to give the travel industry in the State a complete image makeover.
With an objective to give travel industry a complete image makeover, the Chief Minister emphasised upon exploring how smartness can improve competitiveness in the context of State’s tourism destinations, an official spokesman said.
He said the Chief Minister made these observations while interacting with business heads of various companies that offer smart solutions in healthcare, sports, communications, constructions, heritage and hospitality sectors, here.
Sayeed asked the Tourism Department to conceive a plan for Smart Tourist Destinations for Pahalgam and Patnitop resorts in the first phase.
“Small is beautiful. Time has come for our tourist destinations to offer smart solutions in leisure, transport, hospitality and businesses for comfort of our visitors,” he said.
Stressing upon collection and analysis of data at such destinations that receive relatively large number of tourist footfall, Sayeed said it would help in making them more sustainable and adaptable to the needs and tastes of the tourists.
“As a result, visitors obtain a more satisfying stay, besides improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourist destinations,” he said.
The Chief Minister also stressed upon Tourism Department to integrate villages, falling within the jurisdiction of various leisure destinations, into the concept plan.
“The plan for creating Smart Tourist Destinations must envisage creation of high-end accommodation, availability of quality public transportation and high-tech communication, collection of tourism data, diversification in tourism-related activities, emphasis on eco-tourism and maintenance of green spaces, proper traveler handholding and scientific disposal of waste,” the Chief Minister said.
During the meeting, various business heads briefed the Chief Minister about smart navigation which efficiently connects city operations with user and infrastructure procedures.
S C Dixit, Executive Director, Shapoorji-Pallonji Engineering & Constructions, Rajan Kapila, Head, Business Development North, Sterling & Wilson, Barun Pal Chaudhary, Director (Design Build), Shapoorji-Pallonji Engineering & Constructions, and M’cons Group’s Manoj V Pardasany were among the members of the delegation which interacted with the Chief Minister, the spokesman said.
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