Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Dec 28: In its efforts to put tourism back on track after this year’s devastating floods, the Tourism Department is launching a slew of events in the ongoing winter season in and outside the State.
Besides the department, tourism stakeholders are also helping it to completely revive the sector after it took a hit by the floods.
Director Tourism Talat Parvez said that after devastating floods tourists across the world believed that Kashmir was no more a safer place to visit.
“In this regard, we are holding local level events, interactions with tour operators in and outside the State to give a message that Kashmir was safer to visit even after the devastating floods in September,” Parvez said.
He said the department will organise festivals, events, music shows and bash on New Year Eve in the coming days. “Tour operators from outside are also being invited to see for themselves what the Valley has to offer to the tourists. For this a vigorous publicity campaign for the promotion of tourism is in the offing,” he said.
Parvez said the stakeholders are also initiating some events to put the sector back on foot. “The stakeholders in the sector have also geared up their efforts to bring tourists here during winter. They are holding a series of road shows, travel trade marts and press meets at across India to spread the message loud and clear that destination Kashmir was as normal and pristine as it was before the floods,” he said.
Although the tourist flow declined in the Valley after the floods, yet a good number of tourists have visited the place. “Around 11 lakh tourists visited the Kashmir valley even though the flow declined by 50 percent after the floods. Over 20,000 tourists visited every month after the floods hit the Valley,” he said.
To welcome the setting in of freezing Chillai Kalan period, the department is holing a three-day event, ‘Jashn-e-Chillai Kalan’, to attract tourists during the chill, and particularly for snow season. “We are hosting ‘Jashn-e-Chillai Kalan’ from December 29 to 31 at SKICC on December 29, with many activities added to the list this year,” he said.
After it, another event at Nigeen Club will be held on December 30 in which young entrepreneurs will participate. Events like music and painting are in the list, he said. “And finally on the New Year ‘s Eve, the focus will shift to Gulmarg,” he said.
“The main New Year bash will be held at the famed ski-resort and winter destination of tourists, Gulmarg. There will be first-of-its-kind environment friendly New Year celebrations that include a digital firecracker show and performance of DJ Aki,” he said.
The department is also planning to offer some discount for the tourists visiting the Valley during the winter.
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