Continuing with its drive to give a fillip to tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, Directorate of Tourism Jammu, J&K UT in association with Jammu Association of Tour Operators (JATO), organised Tourism Promotion Road Show at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Amritsar, Punjab.Earlier in the day, a press conference was held, which was addressed by Deepika Sharma (JKAS), Raman Suri General Secretary Tourism Federation Jammu, Bilal Ahmad Mir Assistant Director Directorate of Tourism Kashmir, Sd. Amrik Singh President Jammu Association of Tour Operators (JATO), B.B. Kotwal President Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh Tourism Stakeholders Association and Ajay Gupta President Association Religious Tour Operators Katra.Stakeholders including Hotel Associations, Travel and Tour Operators, Travel Media among others prominently attended the enchanting Road Show, in which the Chief Guest was K.L. Malhotra (Forest Conservation Specialist, Department of Tourism, Punjab) and the Special Guests were G.S. Sekhon (Chairman TAAI, Punjab Chapter), Manmeet Singh (Chairman IATO, ADTOI, Punjab) and Ashwani Gupta (Ex-Chairman TAAI, Punjab Chapter). Executive Director Mubarak Mandi Heritage Jammu, Deepika Sharma (JKAS) was the Guest of Honour.Welcome address was made by Kiran Wattal, President Shri Amarnath Yatra Welfare Society and Vice President Gymnastics Federation of India, in which he briefed about the historical connection between Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.Deepika Sharma JKAS said that the Jammu Tourist circuit has a huge potential for pilgrimage, leisure and adventure tourism. J&K is a rich centre of heritage and home to shrines of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Shri Amarnath Ji, Shahdara Sharief, Shankaracharya Temple, Kheer Bhawani, Hazrat Bal, Mansar Lake and Dal Lake among others. There are also ancient temples, forts and sites dating back to 6th century, which are awaiting exploration and admiration from seekers as well as tourists. She also recommended the opportunity to explore the potential of Amritsar-J&K Tourism Corridor.Ashwani Gupta, Ex-Chairman TAAI Punjab Chapter, hailed the Directorate of Tourism and JATO for organising such an splendid road show and said that a fam tour to J&K should be organized by J&K Tourism Department for all the stakeholders from Punjab, so that they can collect intensive knowledge about J&K’s tourism.
Key note speaker Rajesh Gupta Chairman Board of Trustees, Tourism Federation Jammu, gave a very heart-touching speech in which he spoke about the untold and rare legends from Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dwapar Yuga concerning various historical places of J&K. He also told true stories with facts regarding the relation of Shri Ram ji, Shri Krishna ji and Lord Shiva-Maa Parvati ji with the pious land of Jammu and Kashmir. He also highlighted the potential of tourism in J&K and invited the people of Punjab to come and enjoy the beauty of J&K.An excellent presentation was given by B.B. Kotwal and Sd. Amrik Singh, highlighting the excellent rail, road and air connectivity of Jammu and showcased Maa Vaishno Devi Bhawan, Shri Raghunath Ji Temple, Maa Bawe Wali, Shri Amarnath ji Shrine, Shankaracharya Temple, Patnitop, Sanasar, Basohli, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch. Main highlight of the presentation was the circuit of Bhaderwah including picturesque Jai Valley, serene Padri meadows, Gur-Danda, Kailash-Kund Lake, Gatha Lake Park, Trout Fish farm and apple orchards.Chief Guest K.L. Malhotra Forest Conservation Specialist, Department of Tourism Punjab, in his address, said that he was highly impressed by the initiative of J&K Tourism Department of organising road shows across the country for showcasing the real beauty and tourism potential of J&K to the people of India. He further said that he would also talk to the Tourism Department of Punjab regarding building a coordination and collaboration between Punjab and J&K’s tourism industry in order to boost the sector.Raman Suri enthralled the audience with his self-written poetry about Jammu and Kashmir’s heritage, religious, leisure, adventure and border tourism in a very impressive manner. The beauty of his writing was the district-wise description of various attractive tourist destinations of J&K. During his recitation, the hall was echoing with the sound of applauds and the attendees were admiring how Suri gave them a virtual tour of more than a hundred places of J&K in just a few minutes, most of which were unknown to them. While presenting the Vote of Thanks to the Chief Guest, Special Guests, Guest of Honour and all the eminent personalities present on the occasion, Suri said that the main aim of the road show is to gear up for the peak season and apprise the stakeholders including tour operators about various destinations and activities. He added that efforts are being made to harness the potential of untapped areas of J&K, which will help make it one of the premier destinations for tourism in the world.