Pahalgam July 7 : Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday expressed optimism about the resurgence of tourism in Kashmir, stating that the Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a strong comeback after a period of disruption due to Pahalgam terror attack.
Talking to media here in Srinagar as per Kashmir News Service (KNS) correspondent Shekhawat said, “After the incident in Pahalgam, tourism had almost come to a standstill. But the way it has bounced back now, it feels like life itself has returned to the Valley.”
He said that the coordinated efforts of the central and Jammu & Kashmir governments for this turnaround, highlighting steps such as ministerial visits, inter-ministerial coordination, and confidence-building initiatives. “These steps are strengthening the revival process, and I’m confident that tourism in Kashmir will once again reach its earlier peak,” he said.
He also said that during his own visit to Kashmir in June, during which he traveled extensively and encouraged people to move forward.“We should leave behind what happened and focus on taking Kashmir’s tourism even further. In the past three years, we’ve already seen promising growth,” he saifd.
The conference, which brings together tourism secretaries from all Indian states and union territories, aims to foster collaboration and innovation in tourism planning. “This meetings has two key goals, first, we want state tourism heads to take this positive message back to their regions and support domestic tourism, second, in line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision, we want each state to develop at least one iconic tourist destination of global standards. The national goal is to have 50 such destinations across the country, Union Minister Said.
As part of the conference agenda, delegates have been divided into five groups to brainstorm ideas, share success stories, and work on practical action plans. “We are focusing on the tourist’s complete journey from arrival to experience to ensure high standards at every step, he added.(KNS)
