JAMMU, OCTOBER 25: Piloting “Tourism Promotion Campaign” under “Jan Abhiyan B2V4” under the active leadership of Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary of J&K Tourism Department, Jammu Tourism Department conducts multiple awareness camps in all districts of Jammu Division with special focus on identification and registration of “Host Families” especially in “Off Beat Tourist Destinations”.
Continuing her vigorous one-week field tour, Jammu Tourism Co-Manager Sunaina Sharma Mehta visited Udhampur district today and held sensitization and sensitization camps in Chennai and Udhampur. She placed particular emphasis on identifying and mapping tourist routes, hiking routes, identifying and building the capacity of interested homestay owners as well as disseminating information regarding the policies of the department of tourism such as “Homestay registration policy notified in June 2022”, through tourist welcome centers, the chaining of NRLM self-help groups and “village cooperatives” formulated by through the department of cooperatives in various tourist destinations.
She was informed that the tourism department has recently registered several homestays in Chenani and has identified around 30 other homestay properties that are in the process of being registered. She appreciated the formulation of local “village cooperatives” in Mantalai, Sudhmahadev under the title of “Universal Tourism” and “Adventure Tourism”, which are the “Village Level Tourism Promotion Clubs” to activate related awareness. tourism in local areas.
These cooperatives at the village level are actively working for the promotion of tourism and building the capacity of young local volunteers regarding the registration of host families and raising awareness of various tourism products, especially themes such as “agricultural tourism / rural” and “ecotourism” in the Sudhmahadev and Mantalai regions. She called on local youths to come forward to promote tourism of all tourist destinations in Jammu Division and assured that “village cooperatives” and “tourism promotion clubs” would be established in all districts, especially in upcoming tourist areas.
She interacted with BDC Chairman, Chenani, BDC Chairman, Pancheri, Udhampur District Hospitality Association Chairman, Naib Sarpanch Pancheri, local PRI members, hotel industry stakeholders travel and young volunteers who wish to work in the tourism sector.
During the one-day interactive awareness camps, the joint director of tourism developed an action plan for the development of “tourist villages” and “offbeat tourist destinations”.
“Pancheri, Sudhmahadev, Mantalai, Dudu and Kulwanta will receive special attention from the Department of Tourism for their holistic development in terms of harnessing the potential of adventure tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, heritage tourism, among other tourism-related activities. Particular emphasis should be placed on public participation in the identification of new tourist destinations, hiking routes so that the demarcation and delimitation of these tourist areas and hiking routes is done with a practical and user-friendly approach,” said she informed. She also assured that all necessary support will be given to those interested in building their capacity as a homestay owner and tour guide through the Nagrota Food Crafts Institute. The department will organize such training camps so that all interested host family owners will also have the opportunity to earn a living in their own villages and towns.
Among those present during the one-day sensitization camps, Ambika Bali, President of BDC, Pancheri Jeevan Sharma; CDB Chairman Chenani Prakash; Deputy Tourism Director NHW Batote; Jyoti Koul, Udhampur Tourism Officer; President of Udhampur Hotel Association, Vikram Singh Slathia; Member Hotel Association Udhampur Ashok, Registered Homestay Owner Omkar Singh among other eminent personalities from Chenani, Sudhmahadev, Mantalai, Shankari Devta, Pancheri and Udhampur.
