Look beyond elitism, collusion in the name of tourism promotion, NC to Mehbooba

Srinagar: Asking Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to look beyond alleged elitism and collusion in the name of tourism promotion, main opposition National Conference (NC) said ‘the state government’s record on asset creation in tourism sector is shockingly dismal’.
“Recurring splurges by the Chief Minister and her government, including private guest galas and private tours in times of a severe, unprecedented tourism distress in the State was unbecoming, utterly insensitive and shameful especially in light of a complete lack of vision to resuscitate the tourism sector,” an NC spokesperson said.
He said having alleged dinners in five star hotels with her family friends and business associates should not be passed off as tourism promotion.
“Between the Chief Minister and her brother (Tourism Minister Tasaduq Mufti), the tourism sector remains vision-less and directionless. The PDP-BJP Government has failed to create any new infrastructure in the sector. The government remains invested in being directed and guided by a few rich, influential and powerful businessmen who decide on everything ranging from high-level transfers, to allocations, permissions and these unproductive, wasteful tours in the name of tourism promotion,” he alleged.
The NC spokesperson said successive NC-led governments in the State had focused on asset and infrastructure creation in the Tourism sector – both in the public and the private domains and had worked with local stakeholders to create a bottom-up capacity augmentation that eventually resulted in record tourist inflows.
“The concept of exclusive elitist tourism promotion that entails direct chopper services to Gulmarg and Pahalgam from Srinagar is yet again an indication of both the Chief Minister’s disconnect and her lack of insight,” he said.
Firstly, he said the overwhelming majority of tourism inflow into Kashmir comes from the middle-class and working-class segments who need to be attracted to the State through comparative-cost-incentives, affordable services, goad road connectivity and a wide spectrum of lodging options.
“The CM splurging the taxpayer’s money along with her brother and their private guests in lavish hotels within the State and outside the State will not help in achieving these pre-requisites,” he said.
“Secondly how will the Tourism Sector survive when you aim to rob our Taxi drivers, shikara-walas, pony wallahs and local travel agents of their livelihood for your Page 3 circuit tourism policy – if at all it can be called a policy,” he alleged.
The NC spokesperson said that the State Government should also realize that it is accountable for every single penny it spends in the name of Tourism Promotion in the State in view of a complete and total lack of results since the past three years.
“The Government should also involve houseboat owners, small and medium level hoteliers, shikara-wallahs and pony-wallahs in such tourism promotion initiatives — which would provide them some succor and business too rather than making the rich even richer,” he added.