TAAI declares 2018 ‘Visit Kashmir Year’

M Aamir Khan

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 29

As part of the efforts to boost tourist footfall, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has declared 2018 as ‘Visit Kashmir Year’. The step has brought cheer to local stakeholders, who say the development will help in reviving Valley’s tourism sector.

Sunil Kumar, TAAI national president, who made the announcement during the ongoing convention of the association, said observing 2018 as Visit Kashmir Year would be displayed prominently on its website. He said they would also print its stationery with the same theme and it would go places to promote Kashmir tourism across the globe.

The 64th annual TAAI convention started here on March 27 and will conclude on Friday. The event, which is being held here after a gap of 30 years, was earlier held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2016.

Kumar said they had chosen Kashmir as the venue for the event mainly to revive the tourism sector in the region where arrivals had remained on the lower side during the past couple of years.

“By holding the convention, we want to clear the negative perception and give a message to the world that Kashmir is a safe place to visit,” he said, while maintaining the event would also help in attracting high-end tourists to the Valley.

Kashmir tourism had taken a hit after the 2016 unrest, which was triggered by the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani.

Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director, Tourism, Kashmir, said the announcement made by the TAAI was a “major takeaway” from the conference and would go a long way in boosting the tourism sector.

“The association has around 5,000 members and the announcement is a major takeaway from the conference,” he said.

Shah said the 600 delegates that were currently attending the convention too had assured to promote Kashmir tourism.

Bid to correct Valley’s negative perception

• Sunil Kumar, TAAI national president, said: “By holding the convention, we want to clear the negative perception and give a message to the world that Kashmir is a safe place to visit.”
• The 64th annual TAAI convention, which started on March 27, will conclude on Friday. 
• The event, which is being held after a gap of 30 years, was earlier held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2016.