Srinagar: The third G-20 Working Group meeting on tourism under India’s presidency will be held in Srinagar between May 22 and May 24.
India prides on Kashmir as one of the most beautiful places on earth and its unique culture is personified in its art, society, music, cuisine and handicrafts, among others.
Kashmir is rich in its nature and serenity with its marvelous flora and fauna, vales, lakes and springs so is it in its traditions including Sufism. It is one of the most beautiful colours in the India’s fabric of pluralist culture.
To ensure that the delegates of G-20 have a complete feel about this beautiful part of India, the three-day event will be held in Srinagar, which itself is a rare and beautiful marvel on earth situated on the lap of the Himalayas.
Thereafter, there is a plan to take the foreign delegates on a sightseeing tour to the ski resort of Gulmarg. Notably, in the G-20 tourism meet, many delegates will participate from the guest countries and several international organisations.
After the abrogation of Article 370, as peace and normalcy has been restored in J&K, the footfall of tourists has increased in Kashmir as it is considered one of the most beautiful tourist resorts in the world for nature and eco-tourism, cultural tourism, sports and tracking tourism etc.
This time, one of the major events on the sidelines of the G-20 tourism meet will be focused on highlighting film tourism. In fact, Kashmir offers several beautiful locations to film makers for shooting amid rare scenic beauty and nature’s glory which enhance the value and appeal of their film stories, especially the romantic ones.
One of the ideas behind the film tourism event is to showcase the shoot offerings to the visiting delegates with a focus on single-window clearance and other facilities to foreign film crews. This would give boost to tourism and create business opportunities.
Convening the third G-20 tourism meet in Srinagar has great significance for the Union Territory as well. It would mark the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution giving special status to the erstwhile state and divided it into two UTs, J&K and Ladakh, for both enhancing governance and administrative efficiency and ensuring development at a greater pace.
Since the abrogation of Article 370, law and order has improved tremendously and terrorism from across the border has also been curbed. The life and business in Jammu and Kashmir has become much smoother and development and welfare activities have gained unprecedented momentum with the completion of new connectivity projects while employment for the Kashmiri youth has been steadily growing.
The venue of the third G-20 meet is also significant because it would help the delegates have a firsthand experience of the fact that the falsehood and myth propagated by Pakistan are utter lies.
They would also understand India’s continuous assertion that the occupation of part of Kashmir by Pakistan is illegal and it should be handed back to India to make Kashmir a complete territorial continuum to benefit from massive investment and development work pursued by the Government of India. The Indian government is committed to make Kashmir the most preferable place in India for living as well as business.
The first working group meeting on tourism, held at the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in February, highlighted rural tourism and archeological tourism through excursions and side events. The second meet at Siliguri, West Bengal, in April focussed on adventure tourism.
The fourth meet would take place in Goa. After the Goa ministerial meet, an official Goa roadmap will be issued consisting of a shared vision for the G-20 tourism working group for policy making and action.
In fact, the tourism vision would benefit the whole of South Asian countries and the global South, as the countries in these regions are still maintaining their virgin natural beauty and tourism would open new opportunities to them. (IANS)