Jammu, Dec 21: Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Thursday said that the UT hosted four crore tourists in the past two years while as the foreign tourist arrivals recorded a 350 per cent surge after successful G-20 meeting.
Speaking at the Food Processing and Wellness Conclave at Jammu, the LG said that in the last two years, four crore tourists visited J&K. “Foreign tourist arrivals saw 350 per cent surge post successful G-20 summit that was held in May 2023 in Srinagar,” the LG said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
He said apart from Sonmarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg, J&K has a vast tourism potential as 50 additional offbeat destinations have been explored each at Kashmir and Jammu regions for tourists including foreign guests. “Recently, Lolab was chosen as the best offbeat destinations of India,” the LG said.
Welcoming the industry leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from hospitality, wellness & food processing sectors, the LG urged them to explore investment opportunities and foster collaboration during the two-day conclave, organized by J&K Trade Promotion Ogranization.
“A hospital by Apollo will boost the healthcare system and enhance opportunities for employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship,” the LG said.
He said with peace prevailing in J&K since the past three years, the place is fast emerging as the most preferred investment destinations of the country. “The red tape has been replaced with the red carpet for investors,” he said. “We are offering opportunities in various fields of food processing, vegetables, bakery production and nutraceuticals. GI certification will help investors to create global brands and create international standards of food safety and quality.”
LG Sinha said that J&K offers the best incentives and a supportive environment for the expansion of businesses and industries. J&K is also determined to become number one in Ease of Doing Business. I invite industry leaders to invest in the UT of Jammu Kashmir and contribute to J&K’s developmental journey,” he said. The LG said that after Go-First airlines failure to take off international flight from Srinagar airport, efforts have been doubled to see international flight operations at the airport. “We are hopeful to see international flight operations at Srinagar International airport shortly,” he said—(KNO)
