Jammu and Kashmir Government today admitted that there was a dearth of quality accommodation for the high-end tourists visiting the state.
In a written reply to a question from National Conference legislators Devinder Singh Rana and S Dharambir Singh in the Legislative Council here, Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that with the boom in the tourist arrivals during the last two years, the dearth of high quality accommodation has been felt.
The minister, however, hoped that with the improvement in the law and order situation, it was expected that the investment in the hotel industry will increase and dearth of high-end accommodation will be overcome.
Tourism having been declared as an industry, the incentive rules are also in vogue for encouraging private investment in the sector, Mir said.
He said that the incentive rules provide a capital investment subsidy of Rs one crore on establishment of a prestigious unit involving minimum investment of Rs 25 crores, including the cost of the land.
In reply to a question that whether the state government has earmarked some land in and around Srinagar city for construction of world class tourism infrastructure, Mir stated that the issue has to be deliberated upon in the Master Plan, which is in the process of revision.
