NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, MAR 4
While the tourism industry of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 epidemic, the people of Gujarat have provided the much-needed support to it. Between November 2020 and February 2021 about 158,000 people visited Kashmir, of which about 60,000 are from Gujarat, said senior officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department said here on Thursday.
To facilitate hassle-free travel, private airliner IndiGo will launch a direct flight between Ahmedabad and Srinagar from April 28. The direct flight will be at 5.55 am and 8.20 pm, the officials said.
Speaking with the media, Director Tourism Kashmir Dr. GN Itoo who led a delegation of the representatives of the local travel and hospitality sector said, “Travellers from Gujarat and Maharashtra are leading the way in visiting Jammu and Kashmir. Direct flights from Ahmedabad will increase the convenience of tourists and more tourists will prefer to visit Jammu and Kashmir due to a significant reduction in travel time. Now that the CORONA pandemic has subsided, people are slowly choosing to go on tour and the tourism sector is rapidly improving.”
Dr Itoo highlighted various steps taken by the J&K government in mitigating the COVID-19 threats and assuring a safe journey for the travellers with the implementation of the set SOPs and guidelines.
He assured them that Kashmir is safe for tourism activities and hundreds of tourists are already enjoying their holidays at prime summer resorts like Gulmarg, Srinagar and Pahalgam.
He also highlighted the huge participation of over 2,000 athletes and players in the recently concluded 2nd Khelo India National Winter Games which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually. He said that the J&K and Union Governments have already taken up with the airlines the direct flights to Srinagar from major cities, including Ahmedabad, to facilitate easy connectivity between the regions.
He also informed of various promotion activities conducted and the upcoming events and festivals so that travellers can align their tour programmes as per the festivals.
Additional Secretary Tourism Waseem Raja, CEO Tourism Development Authorities, Mansar Gurvinder Jeet Singh were also present on the occasion.
Chairman PILTOF Showkat Pakthoon wasm also present on the occasion.
Ajay Modi, a leading travel agent from Gujarat, hailed the efforts of JK Tourism in opening the region for tourism activities.
He said J&K is one of the prime destinations of the country where travellers always return with beautiful memories. He added that Jammu and Kashmir is a women-friendly and safest destination and hence they can even visit it alone.
