J&K bags ecotourism hotspot award at Hyderabad’s travel exhibition

The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism has bagged the ecotourism hotspot award at the India International Tourism Mart being held in Hyderabad.

An official spokesperson said the tourism fest was inaugurated on December 4 and it is witnessing participation of many states and Union territories besides delegations from Malaysia, Nepal, Botswana and other countries.

The J&K Tourism was awarded for its ecotourism practices having been adopted for sustainable tourism across J&K by the Department, the spokesperson said, adding that “this also coincides with the continued thrust and series of promotional activities carried by the department across the tourism markets in the country in recent months”.

Officials said the stall set up by the J&K Tourism Department evinced keen interest among the members of travel trade and customers who showed a great interest in the products on display particularly related to adventure, MICE and wedding.

The delegation comprised Chief Executive Officer, Kishtwar Development Authority, Kaisar Ahmad Bhawani; Chief Executive Officer, Wullar-Manasbal Development Authority, Ahsanul Haq Chishti; General Manager, JKTDC, Riyaz Ahmad, Assistant Director, Tourism, Jammu, Arif Ahmad Lone and Assistant Tourist Officer, Sajid Kirmani besides many travel operators from J&K.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the tourism fest, the delegation had a series of meetings with tour operators’ bodies from other parts of the country besides facilitating proactive B2B sessions between the tourism stakeholders from J&K and their counterparts from other states. “These include meetings with Tour Operators Association of Telangana, FTCCI, UFTC, representatives of SKAL International besides heads of prominent travel companies of the country,” the spokesperson said.