JAMMU: Jammu And Kashmir Tourism dept. informed that the tourism in Jammu and Kashmir has crossed the mark of highest tourist footfall in November when 1,27,605 tourists visited the Union territory in a single month. Moreover, to attract local and foreign tourists to the UT, the Tourism Department is organizing various roadshows across major cities of the country and raising awareness on the tourism-related events, activities, and destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. These cities include Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
It was further informed that as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav, the Department organized an iconic week celebration in the last week of October 2021, which included performances on Hafiz Nagma, Kalam-e-Khusroo, Kalam-e-Baba Fareed, Qawwali, Baul Sufi folk, Darvish Sufi dance, and Haziri Kathak, besides literary seminar on Sufism and exhibition of local arts, calligraphy, Sufi traditions, and houseboat festival.
To celebrate 75 years of Independence, the Department is organizing 75 tourism festivals to promote 75 off-beat destinations. These destinations will be developed with proper infrastructure and requisite facilities to tap their tourism potential in collaboration with locals, youth clubs, and Panchayati Raj Institutions. The festivals organized so far are- Gurez festival, Monsoon festival, Patnitop & Kashmir, Lolab festival, Wular festival, Aharbal festival, Tosamaidan festival, and Verinag festival.
The Chief Secretary asked the Tourism Department to promote 75 new tourist places by developing comprehensive facilities in an integrated manner having adequate provisions of recreational activities, eateries, and restrooms.
In the winter months, the Department will further organize the Jammu festival, white water rafting championship, Christmas carnival, Winter Carnival, Gulmarg snow festival, Lohri festival, Mata Vaishno Devi Sangeet Sammelan, and several others, as a part of its calendar of activities under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
To promote rural tourism, it was informed that specific activities will be organized along with the identified rural circuits across Jammu and Kashmir, including Hokersar-Parihaspora-Gohan in Gulmarg, Waderbala, Nowgam Mawar- Lolab in Kupwara, Chari-Sharief-Doodhpathri-Yousmarg in Budgam Saderkoot Payeen- Watlab in Bandipora and, Bani- Basohli-Sarthal and Billawar Duggan in Kathua, among others.
