Negative publicity mars Kashmir tourism

The hoteliers accused the national media of propagating factually incorrect reports on the situation in Kashmir which they said was creating fear-psychosis among intending tourists.
President, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Federation, G M Dug, Wednesday showed the media cutting of a national daily reporting that “300 tourists are stranded in Kashmir.”
“These kinds of news reports, which are aimed to malign the Kashmir tourism industry, have damaged our business to such an extent that now even our bookings are being cancelled by the tourists,” he said while speaking at a joint press conference of Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation and Pahalgam Hotel And Restaurant Owners Association (PHAROA) at a local hotel in Srinagar.
“The ministry of information and broadcasting, government of India should take serious note of the issue as this type of reporting which is based on unverified and false reports is damaging Kashmir tourism,” he said.
Dug also criticized the tourism department Kashmir charging it with holding road-shows and promotional programs in the states which “do not constitute market for Kashmir.”
“The road-shows and other promotional programs should be held in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmadabad, Kolkata, where from we receive more than 80 per cent of the total tourists who visit Kashmir,” Dug said.
“When Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed kept tourism portfolio with himself, we were hopeful he would take personal interest in promotion of the sector, but so far he has failed to proactively initiate any promotional campaign even as he had earlier assured us about it. His appeal to tourists would have a huge impact and would clear doubts among the tourists,” Dug said.
He said the chief minister must take tourism seriously as it had great potential for employment generation in the state. “Tourism is the second largest employer and provides direct employment to over 3.5 lakh people and engages indirectly around 15 lakh people.”
“The fate of hoteliers, house-boat owners, transporters, shikara-wallahs, ponnywallahas, handicrafts dealers, daily wagers, small-time hawkers and others who draw sustenance from tourism has become uncertain. The other sectors of the economy which are interlinked with tourism acted as growth of engine are also likely to get affected.”
President, PHAROA, Javid Burza while speaking on the occasion said there was an immediate need to go for massive promotional activity to clear doubts among the tourists wishing to visit Kashmir.
“Pahalgam at this time of the year used be abuzz with tourists but today there is hardly any occupancy in hotels,” Burza said.
Burza urged the media fraternity to play positive role in promotion of tourism across the country.