After hitting tourist footfall, unrest affects the Big Picture
Several Bollywood crews cancel shooting in Valley, opt for other states
Even as the ongoing unrest in Kashmir has badly hit the tourism sector, the Tourism Department today said several film crews had called off their scheduled shoots in the Valley and were opting to shoot in other states.
“The daily arrival of tourists by air and road has gone down from 10,000-12,000 to a few hundreds. The cancellations have affected hoteliers, houseboat owners, airlines and other tourism stakeholders across the Valley. Further, many Bollywood shootings of big and middle budget films have been cancelled and these banners have moved their projects to Himachal Pradesh. Likewise, tourists planning to come to Kashmir have also opted for Himachal Pradesh and other neighboring destinations,” said an official statement after Secretary, Tourism, Farooq Ahmed Shah convened a meeting to review the progress of the Tourism Department here.
“The meeting was informed that the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir which was all set to receive a record number of tourists this season is now witnessing low tourism activity especially in the Kashmir valley due to the prevailing situation,” the statement added.
It said a comprehensive publicity plan encompassing new destinations and tourism products envisaged by the Tourism Department was also in the process of being showcased and all preparations were ready in this regard.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Secretary was further informed that work was on the fast-track on some projects like Food Craft Institute in Jammu, Tourist Reception Centre in Reasi, Tourist Complex in Bani-Basholi, Tourist Facilitation Centre in Ladakh and some of the projects were being commissioned soon.
Shah also chaired the 36th meeting of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Hotel Management, Srinagar. The meeting was told that 130 students were undergoing Tourism Management Training and 150 were doing diploma in the institution.vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
