Tourism Secy visits Manasbal, reviews facilities

Manasbal : Secretary Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez on Saturday visited Manasbal here and took a detailed on-spot review of the infrastructure facilities available to the tourists around the famous lake.
As per an official, Director Tourism Kashmir, Dr. G N Itoo, CEO Wullar Manasbal Development Authority and other concerned officers accompanied the Tourism Secretary during his visit.
Speaking during the review, Sarmad Hafeez said “Manasbal lake holds special place in the tourist map of Jammu & Kashmir and tourists having visited the place have fond memories of this lake”. “To celebrate the importance of Manasbal lake and attract the attention of tourists, a festival would soon be held on its banks”.
Referring to the changed scenario in the tourism sector, Secretary Tourism stressed upon the officers of Tourism Department to hold capacity building programmes for local youth and those engaged with the trade locally so that tourists coming to the place are served better, guided properly and treated professionally when they come to this place.
Saramd Hafeez said that short and long term measures are being taken by the Department to give a flip to the tourism sector that shall change the socio-economic condition of the people.
Later, interacting with local stakeholders, he impressed upon them to take benefit of recently notified home-stay policy and register themselves to get engaged in income generation programmes. He said home stays are meant to percolate the benefits to grass root level and to benefit the locals through the tourism sector.