75 offbeat destinations ready for tourists to explore: Secy Tourism

Kupwara, Sep 10: Reiterating the commitment of the J&K Government to include more offbeat destinations on the Tourism Map, Secretary of Tourism, Syed Abid Rashid said that 75 offbeat tourism destinations were prepared in commemoration of 75 years of Independence.

He made this statement while addressing a gathering at the Bangus Festival.

The Secretary of Tourism said that organizing the Bangus festival had been a dream of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to promote tourism and attract more visitors to the area in the future.

He mentioned the directives of the LG to expand the Tourism map of J&K with untapped and unexplored offbeat destinations.

"For the first time, 75 tourism destinations were identified and are under development in honor of 75 years of independence," Rashid said.

The Secretary of Tourism further assured the gathering that Bangus would undergo significant transformation in the next couple of years with the ongoing efforts, so that Bangus would eventually become a renowned global tourism destination.

While highlighting Kupwara's tourism potential, Secretary of Tourism said the Government is dedicated to exploring adventure and border tourism in North Kashmir and sought the cooperation of the local residents to realize the Government's goal.

Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bhiduri, who also spoke on the occasion, said that the tourism potential of the Valley was being explored on the directions of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

"Kupwara is gradually evolving into the tourism hub of the valley. So far, 30,000 tourists, including locals and visitors from other states, have visited the Keran sector alone," he told the gathering.

He also highlighted the income generation potential of the border tourism places for locals through the setting up of tents and homestays.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, while assuring the gathering of more tourism promotion for the North Kashmir tourism places, mentioned that 1.58 crore tourists visited J&K compared to over one crore last year.