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J&K: Tourism directorate hosts 2nd edition of Kite Festival

Directorate of Tourism, Jammu in collaboration with J&K Tourist Development Corp (JKTDC) on Saturday organized the Jammu Kite Festival 2nd Edition at Tawi River Front Park. A similar festival was organized by district Administration Samba at Rani Suchait Singh Sports Stadium, Arazi in district. Owing to the enthusiasm Jammuites have for kites the festival witnessed a huge crowd from various parts of Jammu. The Festival also marked the celebration of Azadi ka Amrut Mahostav (75 years of India’s Independence). This event will be made a regular feature in coming years and will be organized in a grander manner which will help in attracting tourists from all parts of India. Speaking on the occasion, Div Com Jammu said “Kite flying has been an integral part of Indian Culture “Kites have the ability to drag us out of our homes and go back to childhood for a while. I congratulate Directorate of Tourism, Jammu for organizing such a festival,” he added. Addressing the media persons, Director Tourism Jammu, Vivekanand Rai said “Kites have been a part of a tradition since ancient time and even today they are flown to celebrate various festivals and sentiments.” “Ever since we started thinking about organizing a Kite Flying Festival in Jammu we were sure that it would get a great response. I would like to thank the people of Jammu for making our initiative a thorough success and using Indian Thread for Flying Kites,” he added. Pertinent to mention here is that the participants used only Indian Thread for flying Kites. It was ensured at the entry gate by the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu that none of the participants take Chinese thread inside the venue. Subhang Sethi and Mohit Sharma were declared winners in two categories and each of them won a 2N/3D stay at Patnitop sponsored by JKTDC and Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, for a family of four. All the participants were given certificates in the end.

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Tourism industry in Kashmir booms again: 8,000 travellers fly in and out in a day

Kashmir's tourism Industry is witnessing a boom after hitting the lowest in the last two years. In the month of July and August, Kashmir has seen maximum tourist arrivals. The Srinagar airport has more than 8,000 travellers flying in and out of Srinagar with a total of 62 flights everyday. The numbers have increased after the authorities started late evening flights in Srinagar. It has not only helped the tourists but locals of the valley too. "A total number of 8,059 passengers travelled on 62 flights (31 Arrivals and 31 Departure)," tweeted Srinagar Airport Authority. The tourism stakeholders of Kashmir valley have finally had some respite. They are hoping the tourist arrivals continue like this so that the industry flourishes again. "The flow of tourists is much better than what it was earlier. After Covid we are thankful to the tourism department for the promotion and with time its getting better and better. Department started a vaccination drive and we were the first ones to open for tourists in the country. We are adding new attractions like water transport and a new destination Gurez also picked up. We are hoping that with festivals coming the number of tourists will increase. We are also doing regional promotions in different states," said Manzoor Pakhtoon, a tour operator. After the second wave of Covid subsided in the country, people have finally started travelling and Kashmir is one of the most favourite destinations for the domestic tourists. A lot of tourists could be seen around Dal Lake, Gulmarg and places like Pahalgam. "We have come to Kashmir for the first time and we are liking it. What we hear in the news, it's not like that at all. We like everything from people to places. We are going to Pahalgam and Gulmarg for the next three days. Everyone should come to Kashmir and there is nothing to worry about. People are bored at home so people should travel now," said Naresh Kumar, a tourist. The tourists also asked people from across the country to visit the Valley. "Kashmir is a paradise and it's the truth. We are so happy to be here. And I would also come again for sure. I would ask people to come as it's a very beautiful place," said Aakash Tilak, a tourist. The government of Jammu and Kashmir has also given special discounts and offers to the tourists coming to the valley. Some new sites are being added as well as adventure tourism is also being promoted.

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3-month Tourism Festival under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ in October

The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today chaired a meeting to review preparations for the ensuing Tourism Festival in J&K to be organized over a period of three months under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Administrative Secretary of Tourism Department, General Administration Department, Director Information & Public Relations Department, MD, JKTDC, and concerned officers participated in the meeting. It was informed that the Tourism Festival will be kick-started by a ‘Rooh-e-Sufi’ festival in October 2021, which will comprise performances on Hafiz Nagma, Kalam-e-Khusroo, Kalam-e-Baba Fareed, Qawwali, Baul Sufi folk, Darrvish Sufi dance, and Haziri Kathak, besides literary seminar on Sufism and exhibition of local arts, calligraphy, and Sufi traditions. The three month festival will also include celebrations in the form of Autumn and Houseboat festivals in October; World Heritage Week and Saffron Festival in November; Christmas and New Year festivals in December; and will extend to Winter Carnival in January 2022. Similarly, in Jammu province Jammu Festival, Navratra Festival, White Water Rafting Championship, Lake Festival, Patnitop Winter Carnival, and Lohri Festival will be organized during the same period. The Tourism Department further informed that several destination based festivals will also be held like Sonamarg Autumn Festival, Pahalgam Winter Festival, Khadinyar Cultural Festival, Gulmarg Snow Festival, Basholi Art Festival, Mata Vaishnodevi Sangeet Samelan, Kishtwar Saffron Plucking Festival, and Suchetgarh Seema Darshan. To promote rural tourism, it was informed that several activities will be organized along the identified rural circuits across Jammu and Kashmir, including Hokersar-Parihaspora-Gohan in Gulmarg, Waderbala, Nowgam Mawar- Lolab in Kupwara, Chari-Sharief-Doodhpathri-Yousmarg in Budgam, Saderkoot Payeen- Watlab in Bandipora, Bani- Sarthal- Bhaderwah in Doda, Tattapani-Chingus in Rajouri and Sudhmahadev-Mantalai-Dudu-Basantgarh in Udhampur.

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Meghalaya to reopen tourism, schools from September 1

The Meghalaya government has decided to reopen its tourism from September 1. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed to visit the state for tourism-related purposes from next month. "Tourists who are unvaccinated or vaccinated with a single dose will have to produce a negative RTPCR/TrueNat/CBNAAT report valid only if they have tested within 72 hours prior to their arrival at the entry point," Conrad Sangma said. Conrad Sangma further said, "Local tourists [from within the state] who are fully vaccinated or vaccinated with a single dose will be allowed to visit any location in Meghalaya for tourism purposes." Conrad Sangma also said the Meghalaya government has decided to reopen all colleges and schools in the state from September 1. "For schools in urban areas, Class 1 to Class 5 may have online classes, Class 6 to Class 8 may have school visits and Class 9 to Class 12 may be opened. For schools in rural areas, Class 1 to Class 5 may have school visits and Class 6 to Class 12 may be opened," Conrad Sangma said. The Meghalaya government had imposed total lockdown in East Khasi Hills district in May this year in view of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

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Himachal hotels offer up to 75% discount as tourists avoid hills

Heavy rain and recurring landslides in Uttarakhand are keeping tourists away from the popular hill station of Nainital, with special discounts for the upcoming Janmashtmi long weekend also failing to boost footfall. According to several hoteliers in Nainital, occupancy for the long weekend is very low even as cancellations have seen a spike due to bad weather. “Many of us are offering discounts, yet tourists are not willing to travel amid the threat of landslides. Most hotels have only 20% occupancy for the upcoming long weekend,” a hotelier told TOI. The hotelier added that most hotels had up to 80% occupancy just a few weeks ago. “Even if the bookings were to pick up now, it is unlikely that most properties would be booked beyond 50% of their capacity,” said Ved Sah, secretary of Nainital hotels and restaurants association. Sah added that the images of collapsed roads, blocked bridges and landslides on social media and in media reports have scared away tourists. “This is the third consecutive weekend when the tourist numbers are expected to remain low,” he said. Just last month, a portion of the road leading to the Governor’s House had collapsed while cracks had appeared on the Bhowali-Nainital highway. Several other roads have also caved in in the recent past. The Bhowali national highway was opened to traffic on Tuesday, but heavy rainfall blocked it again on Wednesday night. Neeraj Kumar, another hotelier from Nainital, said the third wave of the pandemic is also expected to hurt business. “Many hotels have lowered their prices and websites are offering discounts yet bookings are low compared with July and early August. There are predictions of a third wave as well which is likely to cause a decline in tourist numbers again.” Hoteliers in Mussoorie, meanwhile, had better luck. Several of them said they have “good occupancy” for the long weekend. “Hotels are expected to have 70% to 80% occupancy this weekend,” said a hotelier.

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No RT-PCR for vaccinated, asymptomatic travellers

The health ministry has finally come out with a revised set of guidelines on domestic travel, advising states to exempt fully vaccinated travellers from the mandatory requirement of furnishing a negative RT-PCR test or RAT report on entry. This comes even as some states are demanding negative Covid test reports on entry from travellers, irrespective of their vaccination status. The ministry in its guidelines said the Centre had not recommended any restrictions on inter-state travel in the context of Covid. It said states had earlier been allowed to develop their own protocols regarding quarantine and isolation. In its advisory to states and UTs, the ministry said fully-vaccinated asymptomatic people, having the final inoculation certificate and with 15 days having lapsed since the second shot, could be exempted from the mandatory requirement of negative RT-PCR or RAT reports on entry into a state.

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