 "A boatman rows his boat against the backdrop of a snow-clad mountain after a spell of heavy snowfall, in Srinagar")
The tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir has got a major boost as the government has made a record budgetary allocation of Rs 786 crore this year, an increase of 184 per cent over the allocation for the previous year.
In a major intervention for upliftment of the tourism sector in J&K, the Union government made a record budget allocation of Rs 786 crore in budget for the tourism sector here, which is Rs 509 crore higher than last budgetary allocation, officials said here on Wednesday.
The officials added that the intent of the massive budgetary allocation was to boost tourism and allied services of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The year 2021 witnessed a large footfall of tourists; both national as well as international due to numerous positive and constructive interventions of the central government in consonance with the government of Jammu and Kashmir," the officials said.
They said several remarkable initiatives were undertaken across the Union Territory to rejuvenate the dwindling economic landscape, which was affected due to the relentless wrath of COVID-19.
Commensurate with this, the J&K government has also undertaken several initiatives to give further stimulus and impetus to the tourism sector here.
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"In a mega push to promote eco-tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, the government has approved development of seven new trekking routes in various wildlife protected areas.
"The decision will also allow online booking of 29 forest rest houses and inspection huts in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, under a common brand and logo," they added.
The officials said the first night flight started operating from Srinagar airport on March 18 last year, marking the dawn of a new era and indicating improvement in air connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country.
The Union territory also launched a golf training academy at the Kashmir Golf Course in July 2021 to promote and strengthen the sports ecosystem in the Union territory.
"This is a giant step forward for restoring the historic golf course after the 2014 floods. A four-day J&K open golf tournament was also organised in Kashmir in September 2021 to attract large numbers of golf lovers and to make Jammu and Kashmir the golfing capital of the world," they said.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has picked Srinagar among 49 cities as part of the creative city network under the crafts and folk arts category. This inclusion is likely to pave the way for the city to represent its handicrafts on the global stage through UNESCO.
It is a major recognition for Jammu and Kashmir on a global platform.
Under the smart city project, 20 religious sites in Srinagar were earmarked for facelifting and renovation to attract a larger number of tourists. The focus area is the induction of modern technology to uplift the overall infrastructural standard of the city.
A provision for multitude of benefits has been there in the J&K tourist village network scheme like Rs 10 lakh for infrastructure, camping material and equipment, home stays, up to Rs 10 lakh for shooting any film or songs by empanelled companies, and up to Rs 2 lakh to local groups for shooting songs, etc.
The Jammu and Kashmir government launched a new film policy to boost tourism and investment in the Union territory. The policy envisaged the setting up of the Jammu and Kashmir Film Development Council (JKFDC).
For better management of pilgrims at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, online booking has been made mandatory to visit for darshan. Crowd management measures like using radio waves-based RFID tracking systems to track the location of passengers has also been started at the shrine.
Ropeways will also be built for children and elderly, while skywalks and suspension bridges will be built for crowd management around the area.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
