LG Manoj Sinha expects more than 2 cr tourists to visit J&K this year

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said he expected more than two crore tourists to visit Jammu and Kashmir this year, breaking the all-time record for arrival of tourists in the Union Territory set last year.

"More than 300 film shoots were done here last year and this year, we will break that record as well. Our problem is that we compete against our own records. Last year 1.88 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir and I expected more than two crore tourists to visit this year. We will establish new records and break them," Sinha told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Sinha was interacting with reporters after laying the foundation stone of first of its kind private hospital and medical college in Kashmir.

"There are many hospitals and medical colleges in public sector but I think in the private sector, there was no hospital or medical college of this size. Today that vacuum has been filled and I congratulate them for setting up 1000 bed hospital and 150 seat Medical college," Sinh said.

The LG said with this venture coming up in Kashmir, the local students will not have to go to other states and countries to study medicine.

"Our students go to other states and countries to study medicine. Now they can study here. It is an effort towards a new beginning. When investments will increase continuously, it will create more employment opportunities and we can take Jammu and Kashmir on the path of progress and development," he added.