Srinagar, July 08: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today addressed the meeting of the center areas in Srinagar. The occasion was also apprehended by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
In his main address, the Lieutenant Governor shared the remarkable development journey of Jammu and Kashmir and its emergence as a preferred global tourist destination.
“This conference is an answer to terrorism and reflects the march of J&K towards peace, progress and prosperity. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, J&K is an unbeatable force and will continue to fruit,” said the Lieutenant Governor.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted the unprecedented changes of the tourism sector of J&K over the years.
“God is really generous to Jammu and Kashmir. It is adorned with land, snow-covered peaks, flicker lakes, apple-laden gardens, temples and rolling meadows, a living canvas of natural beauty, spirituality and peace.
We have strengthened traditional tourism circuits and expanded the horizon of tourism. We have taken the benefits of tourism to every corner of Jammu and Kashmir and have changed life. The Lieutenant Governor said that people of Jammu and Kashmir and their hot hospitality make Jammu and Kashmir a truly attractive tourist destinations.
The Lieutenant Governor noticed that the G20 tourism working group meeting was a decisive moment in the history of J&K and helped in building the brand J&K in the global tourism sector. This was followed by major international and national programs, which not only performed our organizational abilities, but also presented J&K as a destination for luxury, film, entertainment and global engagement, he further said.
Lieutenant Governor also reiterated the administration’s commitment to promote permanent tourism under dissemination (under strategic propaganda and improvement of alternative alternative destinations emerging in J&K). The objective of this strategy is to reduce environmental pressure by bringing diversity to the activities of tourists less and emerging places.
Our aim is to bring 9 emerging destinations on the national-international tourism map and provide direct employment to at least 5 lakh people in the first year and these destinations will be able to attract high-value tourists, they said.
The Lieutenant Governor further said that we are also looking for ways to develop a two -phase ropeway for Shri Amarnathji Shrine, so that they can move forward and make the Didangjan convenient.
The Lieutenant Governor emphasized that the development of the tourism sector is possible only in a peaceful and safe environment.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, security forces have a big role in ending terrorism, but the role of society is also no less. Terrorists should thwart the attempt to attract their livelihood from society.
Ordinary citizens are taking a stand against terrorism. Road protests against Pakistan -backed terrorists are a good sign for establishing permanent peace in the valley. The Lieutenant Governor said that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir should ensure that the terrorists have no place in this beautiful union region.
V. Vidyavati, Union Secretary, Tourism; Suman Bill, Additional Secretary and Director General, Tourism; Gyan Bhushan, Senior Economic Advisor, Tourism, Praveen Kumar Rai, Joint Secretary, MHA; Tourism Secretary, Government of India and UT Administration officials, panelists and experts were present.