7 days ago
From across country, 60-member group of tour operators embarks on ‘solidarity' tour of Kashmir
With J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah pushing for a return of tourists to the Valley after the industry took a big hit following last month's Pahalgam terror attack, a 60-member group of tour operators from across the country has embarked on a 'solidarity' visit to Kashmir.
This is the first group of tour operators from outside Jammu and Kashmir to visit the Valley after the April 22 terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local man were shot dead in Pahalgam. The visit is expected to give a push to the government's plans to revive tourism.
The government is also planning to set up a memorial for those killed in the terror attack.
The visitors include representatives of 26 major tour operators and are led by Maharashtra-based Abhijeet Patil, who met CM Omar Abdullah in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
'This tour is more of a solidarity trip with the people of Kashmir to celebrate bonhomie,' Patil, from Raja Rani Travels, told The Indian Express. 'After the (Pahalgam) attack, we saw how the people spontaneously condemned it. We thought we also need to stand by them,' he said.
Patil said that tour operators from Maharashtra had reached out to the Chief Minister after the attack. 'Initially, we were 10-12 operators. But then it went up, and today we are 60 members here (in Pahalgam),' he said. 'The entire travel industry is being represented, and it is beyond our expectations. We wanted to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir and send the right kind of message.'
Chief Minister Abdullah, after holding a Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam in an effort to instil confidence in tourists, interacted with tourism stakeholders from the Valley as well as the tour operators from outside J&K.
'In my mind, the most important thing is, it is very heartening that this initiative came from them. They said they want to come,' Abdullah said.
Patil said they did not want any assurances from the government, just correct and timely information. 'To be honest, we are here on a friendship trip and we want to build on that,' he said.
In Pahalgam for the Cabinet meeting, Abdullah on Tuesday cycled through town to send a message that the Valley is safe.
The J&K government has decided to set up a memorial for those killed on April 22. The memorial will be set up at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, where the tourists were killed.
The J&K government is also planning to participate in tour and travel festivals across the country in its effort to bring tourists back to the Valley.
'We are exploring how best we can participate in the upcoming travel fairs, especially TTF Kolkata and Ahmedabad,' Omar said. 'We are working with stakeholders and tourism officials… We hope that, God willing, with the successful culmination of the Amarnath Yatra, we can tap into some traffic from West Bengal during Puja holidays,' the Chief Minister said.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
