Tourists are the biggest brand ambassadors of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said today as part of her effort to project a positive picture of the state amid recurring incidents of violence.
She said the people have "unfortunately fallen prey to a viciously negative campaign launched about the state" which needs to be corrected.
"The need of the hour is that tourists wishing to visit the state be told about the state in real and accurate terms," she said while chairing the 2nd meeting of Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) here.
Seeking to reinvigorate the tourism industry, she said tourism is the best way to promote people-to-people dialogue.
She appealed to all the stakeholders of the industry to help people in clearing the negative perception about the state.
The chief minister asked the department to explore the scope of religious tourism in Kashmir, which has not been exploited yet.
She suggested linking of all the shrines, ancient mosques and Khanqahs to generate a niche tourist footfall.
Mehbooba urged the tourism players to further diversify their portfolio and include such attractions in their packages which can enhance the tourist footfall to the state.
She also pitched for conference tourism for its potential and asked the department and industry to explore this idea.
To attract high-end tourists to the state, she advised to prioritise golfing in the state.
During the meeting, the TAB also deliberated upon the draft Tourism Policy and it was decided that a meeting of stakeholders be held to further seek their suggestions and views, an official spokesman said.
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