Jammu and Kashmir government, in its move to develop Jammu region as an independent tourist destination, today announced creation of an International Yoga Centre at the famous pilgrim spot of Mantalai in Udhampur district.
J-K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed also said the government will favourably consider a 'subsidised tour package' for leisure destinations in Jammu region in the upcoming holiday season.
"Mantalai will be promoted as a brand. International Yoga Centre here will have a cascading effect on tourist inflow. I am sure that once the Centre comes up, the flow of tourists to Mantalai will pick up," Sayeed said, while addressing an interactive session during a J&K Tourism Conference.
The conference, organised to conceptualise an out-of-box strategy to put Jammu on the country's leisure tourism map, was attended by tour and travel operators from across the nation as well as the state.
Entrusting responsibility to optimally utilise the intake capacity at various destinations in Jammu region to public and private stakeholders, the Chief Minister said, Tourism sector was bound to play a multiplier effect on other sectors like handicrafts and services which will help in improving the State's economy.
He asked the private tour and travel operators to play an active role in changing public perception across the country about Jammu & Kashmir as a safe tourist destination.
Describing Jammu as an ideal tourist destination whose potential has largely remained unexplored, Sayeed said "Jammu has to be branded on the pattern of Kashmir so that the hidden nature spots in the region were brought to fore.
