Rahul Sahai calls on Secretary Tourism in Jammu

JAMMU June 7: Rahul Sahai Chair PHDCCI Jammu Chapter calls on Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Secretary Tourism, Government of J & K. At the outset Chair congratulated him for successfully showcasing Jammu Kashmir’s Rich Tourist destinations in front of world and amongst G20 delegates and in particular first time showcasing Jammu’s tourist destinations too. He briefed him about the vision and working of PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Rahul Sahai presented several suggestions, recommendations and issues related to tourism sector in Jammu. He suggested showcasing Jammu’s Tourist destinations in Katra town. He said that there should be mass showcasing of tourist destinations of Jammu in Katra town by playing videos all the time in Katra markets , prominent chowks , track , making of a museum at Katra showcasing Jammu’s destinations so that tourists can see and visit other places too. He added that there should be very vibrant tourism office in Katra which should take care of show casing all Jammu’s destinations to the visiting religious tourists. They should take data from yatra slip counter of shrine board and WhatsApp video’s to visiting tourists so that by the time they come back after darshan, they could be motivated to visit other places.

Sahai said that there is an urgent need to have a check and control on the air fares. Also more flights should be operated, to meet the demand of the visitors to Jammu. He suggested that Suchetghar Beating Retreat should be in lines with Attari border and it should be done everyday and not only on weekend as tourists can’t wait for weekends. He said that J&K Tourism twitter handle should show case Jammu’s activities too as there is less awareness about tourist spots of Jammu.

Rahul Sahai recommended that the tourism department should support the startups. Venue should be provided for events/ festivals by tourism department at Patnitop and other places for startups , liquor license should be there for that venue , local NOC‘s and sponsorship support should be available for startups. Mr Sonaad Gupta gave a brief description about the events his startup had organised recently in Jammu and requested the support of the department for future events.

Rahul Sahai suggested Introduction of New Tourist Activities in and around Jammu like Jungle safari in our forests of Jasrota & Nandani forests so that tourists could stay in Jammu. Also suggested Sports Activities to increase footfall in Jammu. Suggested having Cricket IPL Match at MAM Stadium , Shooting ranges should be developed in Jammu , Golf Tournaments should be held in Jammu so that footfall can increase in Jammu .

Rahul Sahai Said that Tickets rates of Jammu Gandola should be slashed, as the rates are too high and not affordable for common masses.He said Liquor licence at Jammu Ropeway restaurant should be granted . 

For Patnitop  he suggested that Infrastructure for destination marriages in and around Patnitop should be made with availability of rooms. Street market , pubs , bars in lines with mcleodganj should be developed in Patnitop . Also roads should be widened.

For Sanasar Sahai said that there is a dire need of identifying and auctioning hotel sites in and around Sanasar so that good hotels / Guest houses could be made available for tourists. Permissions to startups for luxury tents should be given with ease of doing business.

For Mansar and Surinsar Lakes he said that Hygienic conditions to be maintained at these places , especially in restaurants & toilets , there are no places to sit , these lakes have also religious beliefs to feed fishes by locals and tourists , it should be promoted in the same way and Decks should be maintained with availability of feed for fishes. Wide Roads and parking are needed .

For Kishtwar and Bhaderwah he said that Roads needs to be widened, Roads accidents are at peak. Locals also want to visit but availability of Good hotels / Home stays / Govt accommodations are not there, it needs to be upgraded. Although activities like tracking etc is a good initiative Rahul Sahai suggested to promote startups to set up their ventures with ease of doing business . 

Rahul Sahai recommended Complete Circle of Tourist Areas. Most of the tourists come to Jammu  for Mata Vaishno Devi, visit Patnitop, Jammu City and go back. There is a need to develop complete circle from Katra – Jammu – Bani/ Basoli like that in Kashmir region Sonmarg- Srinagar – Pahalgam/ Gulmarg he added.

He recommended that there should be a dedicated area for land banks related to tourism sector. Land cluster for tourism sector at Sanasar, Patnitop,  SudMahadev , Bhaderwah, Kitshwar should be identified, so that Good hotels markets could be made available to tourists and people can invest and make properties with ease of doing business .

Rahul Sahai recommended that policy for Farm stay and Home stay should be implemented in J & K. Tourism department should be involved in the development of villages for farm stays. Home stays will provide cheaper accommodation to the tourists and more the home stays/ farmstays will be available more tourists will get accommodated. This will generate the employment opportunities also he added.

Regarding Maintenance, Protection and Promotion of Heritage Sites Rahul Sahai said that here is a dire need to protect and promote our heritage sites like Mubarak Mandi, Samba fort, Chingus fort and several other sites because of their historical importance. Such sites should be bought on tourist maps , In Mubarak Mandi there are approx. 25 palaces and work is going on in 5-6 palaces by the time it will be done  condition of others will worsen , need its restoration and operation at the earliest . 

Rahul Sahai suggested Promotion of Tourism in J & K through IT. He said that with the help of IT, tourism in J & K can be promoted to every nook and corner of the map.

He suggested use of Digital marketing, Collaborating with various production companies for creating top notch video content & then use social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to showcase the place’s unique offerings, attractions, and experiences. We should Partner with local businesses, hotels, tour operators & travel agencies like oyo, goibibo, makemytrip initially to create attractive travel packages and deals that showcase the destination’s unique offerings.

He also suggested Collaboration with Bloggers & influencers who have a large following in the industry to promote the tourist place to their audience on social media. Host blogger & influencer events to showcase the place’s unique offerings and create positive buzz he added.

Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Secretary Tourism, and Government of J & K gave a patient hearing to all the points that were discussed and ensured his full cooperation and support. He informed that in Katra tourism department is starting a virtual reality tour for the tourists so that they become aware of other tourist destination of Jammu. Regarding high air fares he said that they have taken up the matter with concerned department of Government of India.  He also informed that a large scale golf tournament in Jammu is also planned for September. He said that that they will form a facilitator cell for the start-ups to help them in organising big events. Dr Abid ordered his office to add PHDCCI Jammu Chapter in J & K Govt’s Stakeholders Tourism Committee so that it can share its suggestions and recommendation. Dr Abid said that he and his office is always available for any kind of help and support related to tourism sector. Others present in the meeting were Mr Kuldeep Gupta, Mr Shantnu Gupta, Mr Ashish Jain, Mr Arush Gupta and Mr Amarpreet Singh Resident Officer PHDCCI Jammu.

(NOTE: PRESS RELEASE PUBLISHED AS RECEIVED)