Jammu, August 19: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir through Department of Tourism is currently conducting a Familiarization tour (FAM Tour) of the members of National Tour and Travel Operators from all over India to promote tourism of some virgin tourist destinations which are yet to be explored fully by the tourists.
The step indeed is a welcome one and in the right direction as many stake holders have been involved particularly the private sector who might lend their helping hand and expertise to bring new innovations to modern day tourism without harming the fragile ecosystem of these tourist places in Kashmir valley.
As we have been calling upon the government time and gain through these columns to promote the tourism sector of the state at national and international levels particularly those destinations which are yet to be included in the national and international tourism maps, the government seems to have initiated the work towards that direction.
While the local vested interests in Kashmir valley have indulged in loot and plunder of the ecology of the Valley which they later blame on Amarnath yatires and security forces, the government must also take advance steps to ensure that local anti-social elements are kept away from harming the ecology of the these virgin destinations and plan the tourism in such a way that the nature is preserved in its pristine glory.
However at the same time it is also imperative upon the department which is headed by the Chief Minister himself that similar focus is given to tourist places of Jammu region which has seen only neglect since the Independence even though Jammu has much more to offer in the shape of pristine and virgin tourist destinations in Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch districts while many historical destinations within Jammu district are also awaiting for the promotion.
The justice with the tourism of the state if at all the government is keen to tap the sector fully will be done only if all the three regions are promoted with same spirit and zeal and their respective and unique features highlighted before the tour operators and through advertisements so that the tourist inflow is distributed evenly and the tourist as well as the state gets benefited by attracting tourists of different tastes and likings.
The department must utilize the moment to take visiting tour operators delegation to the virgin destinations of Jammu and Ladakh so that they can formulate a comprehensive tourism policy for the state as the modern requirements and infrastructure is created accordingly to give the tourists the best of the time while in the state.
Even though the Chief Minister and other ministers have assured the three regions of equal treatment the focus till now seems to be only on the valley which is not good for a long term tourism policy as the government has been talking about tourist destinations like Yousmarg Doodpathri, Gurez Valley, Aharabal and Bangus to be brought on the tourist map of the State while the places like Bhaderwah, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur have yet not been taken care of.
The current FAM tour is sure to get good results for the state and in that direction is a welcome step only if the tempo is continued and other areas are also promoted similarly
The FAM tour was organized by the Department of Tourism and it comprised 10 teams of tour and travel operators from various parts of the country besides Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, Travel Agents Society of Kashmir, Hotel Federation of Kashmir, All Operator Tour of India, Tour and Travel Delhi, Travel Agents Association of Kashmir and Pahalgam Hotel Association.
It is hoped that such torus are followed up by the department and the expertise and suggestions considered with an open mind to encourage the private sector in promoting the tourism in the state.