J-K chief secy chairs high-level meet to review tourism promotional campaign

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam reviewed on Sunday promotional campaigns for wooing tourists, days after the state administration withdrew its August 2 security advisory for holiday-makers and Amarnath pilgrims.

The advisory, asking tourists to leave the Valley immediately due to "terror threat", was issued days before the government abrogated the special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

The advisory led to exodus of tourists from Kashmir and had a huge impact on the sector. After the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5, the Valley was shut leading to losses to stakeholders during the peak tourist season.

On October 7, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik directed lifting the advisory with effect from October 10.

Subrahmanyam on Sunday also reviewed the overall functioning of the tourism sector and stressed on outsourcing assets and exclusive marketing portals for houseboats and incentivising paying guest houses, an official spokesperson said.

Principal Secretary, Tourism, Navin Choudhary; Director, Tourism Kashmir, Nisar Ahmad Wani; Managing Director, J-K Tourism Development Corporation, Asgar Hussain; Director, Industries and Commerce, Mahmood A Shah and other officers of the tourism department attended the meeting.

The chief secretary stressed on promoting the tourism potential of the state at global level through an attractive marketing campaign and providing marketing platforms for the houseboats and paying guesthouses on dedicated web portals to attract niche clientele, the spokesperson said.

He also directed the tourism department to launch an exclusive advertisement campaign for houseboats, which, he said, is the unique selling proposition (USP) of the Valley's tourism sector.

"Every region of the state has something unique to offer to every class of tourists and the same should be conveyed through these campaigns," he said.

The chief secretary also stressed on outsourcing departmental assets to private firms for better operations and commercially viability.

"This will also improve service delivery and ensure better use of these assets," Subrahmanyam said.

The principal secretary, tourism, informed the meeting that the department is participating in the roadshows both within and outside the country besides using outdoor media for massive promotional campaigns to attract more tourists to the state, the spokesperson said.