A steep rise in the tourist influx in Jammu & Kashmir this year is by all probabilities a huge encouragement for travel and trade industry in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. The record tourist arrivals have undoubtedly generated hopes of full scale revival of the tourism sector among all the stakeholders of tourism industry across Jammu & Kashmir. Extra focus of the J&K Government on tourist sector quite evident from this year’s budget allocations for the promotion of infrastructure and development of more tourist destinations has also led to the heavy tourist influx in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division . Budget allocation of Rs 786 crore, Rs 509 crore higher than last budgetary allocation, speaks volumes about the increasing interest of both the central and as well as the J&K Government in the revival of tourism sector in Jammu & Kashmir. Introduction of home stay tourism is a new area over which the J&K Government is laying extra focus with the purposes of raising the income of the local stakeholders of tourism sector and expanding the tourist facilities for the tourists at almost all the tourist destinations across Jammu & Kashmir. Main focus of the home stay tourism is focused on setting up tented accommodations at major tourist destinations besides boosting adventure activities even at unexplored tourist places, and identifying new trekking routes across Jammu & Kashmir. In establishing tented accommodations the priority of the tourism department is the public-private partnership at almost all the hilly resorts with the purpose of engaging local youth in it’s tourist centric initiatives just for generating more and more employment and income opportunities for unemployed youth at more and more tourist destinations across Jammu & Kashmir.
So for only traditional hilly resorts were the places of attraction for trekkers both within and outside the country but after the exploration of new tourist destinations some new hilly resorts are likely attract trekkers in coming years. With the launch of direct international flight at Srinagar international airports even the aviaton sector of the country is also a big beneficiary of the this year’s heavy tourist influx in Jammu & Kashmir.
The home stay tourism is obviously a big initiative to boost rural economy by introducing community entrepreneurship for the first time in tourism sector across Jammu & Kashmir and mostly the initiative of home stay tourism is focused on involvement of youth and women in almost all the tourist activities for the purposes of generating more and more income and employment opportunities at the grass roots across Jammu & Kashmir. The focus of the tourism department is also on adventure tourism for the purposes of exploring the unexplored tourist destinations by making them more and more accessible to tourists coming to Jammu & Kashmir with the interest in trekking. So for only traditional hilly resorts were the places of attraction for trekkers both within and outside the country but after the exploration of new tourist destinations some new hilly resorts are likely attract trekkers in coming years. With the launch of direct international flight at Srinagar international airports even the aviaton sector of the country is also a big beneficiary of the this year’s heavy tourist influx in Jammu & Kashmir.
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