J-K govt keen to participate in UN tourism project: Mir

Jammu and Kashmir government is keen to participate in UN's Silk Road programme and further the cause of tourism and sustainability in the region, state Minister for Tourism Gulam Ahmed Mir said.
"We are quite keen to be a part of UNWTO's Silk Road Programme and are willing to collaborate with regional partners and further the cause of tourism and sustainability and the promotion of peace through tourism in the Great Silk Route," Mir said in London yesterday.
"Let's collaborate, share knowledge and best practices and work towards building bridges between cultures and nations in the region to make South Asia, India and Kashmir in particular a more vibrant and successful tourist destination in the world," he said.

The minister is heading a delegation of the state and is accompanied by both the tourism Directors of Kashmir and Jammu at the four-day London Travel Mart Conference which commenced yesterday.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation's Silk Road Programme aims to enhance sustainable tourism development along the historic Silk Road route.
Mir also appealed to the people of London to tour the state and experience its natural beauty and hospitality of its people.

"Peace is a pre-requisite for flourishing tourism and our state is as safe as other places in the world," he said.
Meanwhile, the International Institute of Peace through Tourism (IIPT) has accepted Mir's proposal to hold a conference on tourism in Kashmir Valley next year.

Louis D'Amore, President and Chairman of International Institute for Peace Through Promotion (IIPT) accepted the invitation and promised to hold the conference in the first half of next year, an official release of the ministry said.
"This initiative will bring international recognition and coverage on tourism and its positive impact on building bridges and its local impact on economy at large," it said.