Latest news with #RallyforValley
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 .
India Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Our relationship with Leh and Ladakh will become stronger: J-K CM advisor Nasir Aslam Wani
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 12 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's advisor Nasir Aslam Wani on Thursday said that J-K's relationship with Leh and Ladakh will become stronger. He was speaking about a visit by a 30-member delegation of the Kashmir Travel Agents Association to Kargil. Wani stated that when the government is worried about promoting tourism in the region, it tries to promote it in Kargil as well. Aslam Wani considered the issue a 'big deal' and said that the primary interest of the government is the development of tourism in the region. 'Our relationship with Leh and Ladakh will become stronger. When we worry about promoting tourism in our region, we try to promote tourism in Kargil. This is a big deal. You can guess that we have no vested interest in all this. The primary interest is the development of tourism in the region', he told ANI. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah met with the delegates of the Travel Agents Association of India in Srinagar. 'Chief Minister met the delegates from the Travel Agents Association of India today in Srinagar. He appreciated their continued support in promoting J&K as a premier travel destination and assured all steps will be taken for enhancing tourism infrastructure & ease of doing business', an 'X' post from Jammu and Kashmir CMO said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) initiated a campaign called 'Rally for Valley' to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir after the terror attack in Pahalgam. The association aims to showcase the region as a safe destination and support the local livelihood dependent on tourism. 'The primary purpose of this campaign is to promote J-K as a safe tourist destination and support local livelihood. Around 75 travel company heads from across India are participating in the campaign,' said Sunil Kumar, the president of The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI). 'We are committed to the revival of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. As the President of TAAI, I recall our successful convention in Srinagar in 2018, attracting 700 agents from across India and transforming the region. Following the recent Pahalgam incident, we couldn't remain silent. We've launched the 'Rally for Valley' campaign to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir again, ' added Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI. The group will visit tourist destinations like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg to gather feedback from local tourism stakeholders. The association will submit reports to the Tourism Minister, and each state member will share insights with their local governments. (ANI)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘Resume direct flights, reduce hotel tariffs to revive tourism in Kashmir'
Srinagar: The travel trade industry has appealed to airlines to resume flights to Srinagar that were discontinued after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 so that tourism in Kashmir can revive. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While all flights to Srinagar, Jammu and over two dozen other areas were suspended in May, as India conducted air strikes against terror hubs in Pakistan, some services including direct flights from Kolkata to Srinagar by IndiGo Airlines and Air India Express have not resumed after hostilities ceased on May 10. IndiGo has indicated that it will resume the direct flight from June 16. Last month, TOI wrote about the 'Chalo Kashmir' campaign, a strong community-tourism industry connect initiative launched by the Travel Agents' Association of India (TAAI), which handles around 4 lakh tourists from Kolkata in a year, around 40,000 of whom travel to Kashmir. Taking the campaign forward, TAAI started a new campaign called Rally for Valley to boost tourism in Kashmir. "We are in talks with the Union govt as well as airlines and hotel bodies to put a cap on tariffs that can help us shape attractive packages for tourists," said TAAI president Sunil Kumar. "As for safety, we are visiting the valley with our families. Tourists have nothing to fear. People here are among the most hospitable. This is the best time to visit the Valley," he added. Over 15 lakh tourists visited Kashmir last year. The Valley was packed with tourists again this year before the terror attack triggered mass cancellations. The downturn in tourists has hit Kashmiris hard. "In April, we were charging Rs 5,000 for a round trip to Pahalgam from Srinagar. Now we are taking tourists even for Rs 3,000," said Md Rouf, a driver. Restaurants like Lazeez, which had to turn down guests two months back, are now giving special offers to fill tables. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Very few rooms have been booked across several hotels. Had it not been for the terror attacks, these hotels would have been packed. These hotels should take a Covid-time-like approach and cut down on tariffs. We have set ourselves a target until Sept this year by when we intend to revive tourism back in Kashmir," said TAAI chairman (east) Anjani Dhanuka. The newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express, travelling through the landmark Chenab Bridge, is also being promoted as a game changer. "Kolkata will host the first roadshow promoting Kashmir as a safe destination. We are also regularly updating our social media handles with snippets and current activities in popular destinations in Srinagar, Pahalgam, Jammu, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and other places to encourage tourists from Kolkata," said Manav Soni, TAAI national committee member.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
TAAI launches
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 10 (ANI): The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has initiated a campaign called 'Rally for Valley' to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir after the terror attack in Pahalgam. The association aims to showcase the region as a safe destination and support the local livelihood dependent on tourism. 'The primary purpose of this campaign is to promote J-K as a safe tourist destination and support local livelihood. Around 75 travel company heads from across India are participating in the campaign,' said Sunil Kumar, the president of The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI). 'We are committed to the revival of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. As the President of TAAI, I recall our successful convention in Srinagar in 2018, attracting 700 agents from across India and transforming the region. Following the recent Pahalgam incident, we couldn't remain silent. We've launched the 'Rally for Valley' campaign to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir again, ' added Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI. The group will visit tourist destinations like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg to gather feedback from local tourism stakeholders. The association will submit reports to the Tourism Minister, and each state member will share insights with their local governments. Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI, emphasised the potential of Kashmir as a tourist destination, stating that the 2018 convention in Srinagar generated significant interest among travel agents and tourists alike. He added, 'We want to tell the world that Jammu and Kashmir are safe places to visit. We believe this is a big opportunity and responsibility for us. People seek holidays to escape stress, routine, and boredom, and TAAI aims to encourage them to choose Kashmir over other destinations, ' said Sunil Kumar. (ANI)
