Jammu and Kashmir tourism cheaper now, though not safer
March and April witnessed an average daily footfall of 5,000 tourists while it is usually near about 30,000 a day.
Kolkata: Concerned over the recent decline in the footfall of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, thanks to terrorism, the J&K tourism on Saturday announced a number of sops to woo tourists.
“The J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) is offering a discount of around 50 per cent in its tour packages while the private tour operators have also chipped in with a 30 per cent discount,” Ghulam Zeelani Zagar, deputy director of J& K tourism said at a press conference in Kolkata.
“Recent terrorist activities are only in the border areas, which are far away from the tourist destinations. The hotel owners, the transport operators and the administration are ready to provide safety and security for tourists,” Mr Zagar added.
In the last fiscal, as many as 17 lakh tourists visited the valley. “But the way the number of tourists decreased in the last two months, we apprehend an almost 20 per cent decline this year,” Mr Geelani said.
March and April witnessed an average daily footfall of 5,000 tourists while it is usually near about 30,000 a day. Tourism is one of the major source of livelihood for the people of Kashmir and Bengal alone contributes to more than 40 per cent of the tourist flow.
“We too have a role to play to attract tourism in J & K. We are also giving a 30 per cent discount in our various packages to attract tourists,” Nazir A. Mir, chairman of Association of Kahmir Tour Operator (AKTO) said.