Top travel agents across India visit Kashmir to revive tourism post Pahalgam attack
SRINAGAR: As tourism in the Valley has been badly hit by the Pahalgam terror attack, leading travel agents from across the country are visiting Kashmir to help revive tourism in the region.
At least 70 members of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), India's premier and largest travel trade association with over 2500 members, are on a three-day visit to Kashmir as part of the initiative 'Rally for the Valley' from June 10-12.
TAAI members have held interactions with local tourism stakeholders, including travel agents, hoteliers, houseboat owners, entrepreneurs and government officials on how to revive tourism in Kashmir again.
The TAAI's held an event in a Srinagar hotel yesterday which was attended by local tourism stakeholders and also Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Omar said the government is working to improve the experience of tourists coming to J&K, maintaining that tourists who come to Kashmir should want to return.
"Tourists have a journey or an experience. They go home and tell others about it. I think there are lessons we've all learned over the past few months," Omar said and reiterated that J&K government is using this time to improve infrastructure and overall visitor experience.
The CM said, the TAAI delegation's visit under such circumstances is a true reminder of the association's commitment to J&K and their relationship with the region.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Making efforts to improve tourist experience: Omar
The Jammu and Kashmir government is making efforts to woo tourists, including steps to improve their overall experience, chief minister Omar Abdullah said, addressing the collapse of the sector following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He was at the start of 'Rally for the Valley: Let's go to Jammu and Kashmir', a tourism revival initiative by the Travel Agents Association of India(TAAI). 'Tourists have a journey or an experience. That they go home and tell others about it and I think there are lessons we've all learned over the past few months,' Omar, who is also the tourism minister, said in his speech on Wednesday evening. Tourist arrivals in J&K dipped to near zero after the attack at Baisaran meadow that claimed 26 lives, 25 tourists and a local. The Valley also saw an exodus of tourists immediately after the attack. The industry took a further dip amid the military confrontation between India and Pakistan from May 7 to 10. Omar reiterated that the J&K government is using this time to improve infrastructure and overall visitor experience. 'I have already given instructions to the cable car corporation to upgrade the gondola in Gulmarg so that capacity is increased, ticketing is improved and the overall experience is enhanced. The same applies to other tourist attractions in J&K,' he said. He extended his gratitude to the TAAI delegation and its president Sunil Kumar for visiting Kashmir. 'Let me express deep gratitude, not just from my side or from the government's side, but on behalf of everyone connected with tourism in Kashmir—thank you for being here and for giving us this boost,' he said. On the Pahalgam attack, he emphasised the importance of learning from the past. 'It's hard to talk about the future without looking back to understand how we got here. The tragic incident on April 22 in Baisaran must never be forgotten,' he said. On the improvement in connectivity, he highlighted the addition of rail services to the region: 'Today, Kashmir has a railway network. You were able to cross the highest railway bridge in the world—which is a testament to the hard work of engineers and the companies that built it. You crossed the only cable-stayed railway bridge in the country. And you did this in a region of extreme challenges,' he said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Snow will melt, spring will come again: Omar
1 2 3 Srinagar: "What happened on April 22 will not be quickly forgotten. But the winter will go, snow will melt, and spring will come again," J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday. Abdullah's words, at a convention hosted by Travel Agents Association of India in Srinagar, were both an admission of pain and a promise of renewal in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives and left the Valley's booming tourism industry in turmoil. The CM was addressing stakeholders attending the 'Chalo Kashmir' and 'Rally for Valley' campaigns, both aimed at reviving tourist confidence in the region. He acknowledged the steep decline in tourism after April 22, with flight prices plunging from Rs 22,000 to Rs 3,500 and hotel rates nosediving from Rs 80,000 to Rs 25,000 — and rooms are still vacant. "We had 50 flights operating every day and all flights were packed. Now it's down to 15 and tickets can be available even an hour before the journey," he said candidly. Abdullah painted a bleak picture of livelihoods disrupted — taxi drivers, pony owners, tour guides, hoteliers and homestay operators struggling to survive. "The rich can wait it out. But for the poor who upgraded a four-room house to a homestay, or upgraded from a sedan to an Innova on loan — it's devastating," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Forget Furosemide, Use This Household Item To Help Drain Edema Fluid WellnessGuide Learn more Undo Yet, amid the grim statistics, Abdullah called for hope and gratitude. "We locals started complaining... the flight ticket prices, traffic jams at the tulip garden, the gondola queues. Maybe the great power above listened to us — and within hours, it all vanished," he said. "I was inches from imposing a tourism tax," the CM added with a wry smile, "because I thought we had finally reached the point where J&K could earn from tourism. But wiser voices said, 'Not yet'. And see — here we are, starting from scratch again." Abdullah said this lull was being used to boost infrastructure. "We have new things. We didn't have the train journey earlier. Rain was a major threat for flights and road travel. Now we have a wonderful train journey along the highest rail bridge and the only cable-stay bridge in Kashmir," he said. Govt is also focusing on enhancing the carrying capacity of popular destinations. The Gulmarg gondola was undergoing upgrades to reduce wait times, while expansions were taking place at the tulip garden to host more visitors next spring, he said. Abdullah emphasised that while terrorism aimed to instil fear, response from Kashmiris was of unity and defiance. "For the first time after such an attack, people came out on their own. They said: this is not in our name. We are not with this attack," he said. The CM concluded with an appeal for solidarity: "We need your support in this hour of crisis. Spring will come again. But we must stand together to make sure it blossoms." Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Centre reviews J&K power, urban infra; 5 grid stations inaugurated, UT told to expedite smart metering
New Delhi: Union minister for power and housing & urban affairs Manohar Lal on Thursday reviewed the power and urban development sectors in Jammu & Kashmir during a meeting held in Srinagar, attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, senior officials of the Union Territory, Central Public Sector Enterprises and the Government of India. The UT administration highlighted the role of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in strengthening the power distribution network, particularly in remote areas, and thanked the Union Minister for approving revised cost estimates under the scheme. Issues related to upgradation of the power distribution and transmission system were raised by the UT, with a request for continued support from the central government. The Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister for his visit and underlined the UT's commitment to improving the sector. Union Minister Manohar Lal asked the UT administration to plan for capacity augmentation as per the Resource Adequacy Plan. He commended efforts to reduce the gap between power purchase cost and revenue and emphasised that such measures will help improve the financial health of power utilities and ensure reliable supply. He advised the UT to fast-track implementation of prepaid smart metering, beginning with government establishments and extending to commercial and industrial consumers. He added that the government should saturate prepaid metering for all government departments and colonies by August 2025. The Union Minister also highlighted the need to resolve pending issues in ongoing NHPC hydro projects to enable their early completion and called on the UT to consider waiving the water cess levied on hydro projects to reduce power costs. He said the UT should coordinate with the Centre to build skills among the local workforce for hydro projects. The Minister assured full support from the central government for the overall development of the UT. During the visit, the Union Minister inaugurated the following grid infrastructure augmentation works: 1. Augmentation of 132/33 kV Grid Station Awantipora from 145 MVA to 175 MVA. 2. Augmentation of Grid Station Wanpoh, including replacement of a 20 MVA, 132/33 kV power transformer with a 50 MVA transformer. 3. Augmentation of Grid Substation Amargarh from 135 MVA to 195 MVA. 4. Augmentation of Grid Substation Magam from 100 MVA to 130 MVA. 5. Replacement of a 50 MVA transformer bank at Kulgam Grid Station with an 80/100 MVA unit along with related upgrades such as bus strengthening and equipment replacement. The Union Minister stated that the visit was aimed at facilitating resolution of pending issues and identifying new initiatives to enhance services in the UT.
