Srinagar, May 23: Centre has included Jammu and Kashmir in the ‘Cool Summers of India’ campaign to promote tourism.
Under the ‘Cool Summers of India’ campaign, the ministry has, in consultation with respective state governments and Union territories, picked over 50 destinations and efforts are on to actively promote them as tourist attractions.
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the prime destinations, which the Centre is promoting under the campaign to attract more tourists to the destination.
As per reports, this summer, instead of Shimla, Manali, Nainital, or Mussourie, the union tourism ministry is making efforts to develop places including Patnitop in Jammu & Kashmir, to give tourists an option to escape from the scorching heat during the summers.
The other selected destinations include Bir Billing, Kinnaur, Dalhousie, and Tirthan in Himachal Pradesh, Auli in Uttarakhand, Wayanad in Kerala, Thenzawl in Mizoram, and Kurseong in West Bengal.
Under this initiative, sources said the government will focus on lesser-known places known for their crafts, culture, and cuisine.
This campaign is also aimed at decongesting the overcrowded hill stations and managing tourist flow in popular locations.
The tourism stakeholders and local authorities have welcomed the ‘Cool Summers of India’ campaign, expressing optimism about its potential to attract a significant influx of tourists to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Kashmir is already in demand currently and this campaign will further give a boost to the tourism flow to Kashmir. The government is making efforts to promote both known and offbeat places in Jammu and Kashmir to accommodate more tourists to flourish the tourism industry,” said Umar Ahmad, a travel agent.
Currently, as the summer heat grips the rest of India, tourist flow to Kashmir has increased with hotels occupied to full capacity for May and June.
President of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) Rouf Ahmad Tramboo said that the majority of the hotels were occupied by tourists currently across all the destinations of Kashmir.
“We are witnessing an uninterrupted flow of tourists currently. Winter as well as the spring season has been very encouraging for the tourism sector of Kashmir. We are expecting the flow to sustain for the rest of the months and hope to break previous tourism records,” he said. (With KNO inputs)
