Government of India and various state government’s mustidentify and expose “anti-social and communal” elements outside Kashmir whohave launched a negative boycott campaign against the Valley which asksintending tourists to not visit this region, Kashmir’s tourism fraternityconsisting of 18 associations along with leading business chambers said in apress conference on Monday.
These include Kashmir based tour operators, hoteliers,houseboat owners who have been supported by leading trade and commerce bodies.
Addressing a joint press conference, Nasir Hamid Khan,senior-vice president, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI),representing the Tourism Inc said heads of various tour trade organisationswill personally visit states outside the Valley to counter “boycottKashmir” campaigns.
“Today Kashmir’s trade fraternity including tourism playershas come forward to defeat the motivated propaganda. Outside Kashmir there arenot just fringe elements in travel trade but other walks of life also who havespread boycott campaign against Kashmir,” said Khan. “Such elements need to be identified andbrought to book,” he said. Khan said it was quite unfortunate that social mediaand national-level television news was spreading the “hate-campaign” againstKashmir tourism.
“We urge people that they must personally visit Kashmir toknow the difference between the reality and the propaganda. We are here tospread a message of peace and communal harmony and send out a positive messagethat Kashmir has been hospitable even in most testing times,” Khan said.
Kashmir’s tourism players have decided to join hands to findways for ‘saving’ this loss-making industry. Several tourism associations oftour operators and hoteliers held joint meeting here on Monday to discuss theongoing decline in the tourism industry due to the fragile situation.
Speaking with Greater Kashmir, tourism players said theyhave come under an umbrella body to formulate a “damage control” mode. “SinceFebruary 14 our hotel has received maximum bookings of 2-3 room occupancy on adaily basis. There has been cancellation of almost 80 percent in last twoweeks,” said a hotelier not wishing to be named. Tourism players say there hasbeen “complete inaction” from state government for coming to rescue of tourismindustry saying they have decided to jointly work to find-out some ways to savethis sector. “Tour operators were hoping to cash-in on the Tulip and almondbloom season beginning later this month but with the prevailing situation thespring season seems to have become a dampener,” said a houseboat owner. Among the associations who have joined handsto work together for saving Kashmir tourism includes Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry,PHD Chamber J&K, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA),Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation(KHAROF, J&K Hoteliers Club,Pahalgam Hotel and Restaurant Owners (PHARO), J&K Hotel andRestaurant Association (JKHARA) , Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK),Travel Agents Society of Kashmir (TASK), J&K Tourism Alliance (JKTA), Tourist Trade InterestGuild (TTIG), Nigeen Tourist TradersAssociation (NTTA), Adventure TourOperators Association of Kashmir (ATOAK), Travel Agents Federation of Kashmir (TAFOK ), Domestic Tour Operators Association ofJ&K, TAAI JK CHAPTER, Houseboat Owners Association (HBOA, Urban Travel Agents Association (UTTA).