Working with MEA to get international travel advisories for J-K watered down: Omar

New Delhi, Dec 18: The Jammu and Kashmir government is working with External Affairs Ministry to help water down travel advisories issued by various countries which have made it “all but impossible” for foreign tourists to visit the Union Territory, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Wednesday.

In an interactive session at 18th Annual Tourism Summit 2024 organised by the CII, Abdullah said as a result of the 30-35 years of trouble that J&K has gone through, international tourism has not been a focus area.

He said it is simply because the travel advisories that exist make it “all but impossible” for tourists from traditional markets to visit Kashmir.

“As a result of those travel advisories, their insurance is void if they travel into Kashmir and that’s a no-no for them. That’s something again we are working with the government of India particularly with the Ministry of External Affairs to try and use their good offices to at least water them down initially with a view to completely removing them,” he said.

Abdullah said people of J&K want these high-spending tourists to visit the region.

“So, you will find that the guy who was happy to invest in an Innova will think of investing in a Mercedes because they start seeing high-spending tourist coming…similarly with hotels and everything else,” he said.

The chief minister said in the last few years, the tourism sector in Kashmir has seen growth in volumes because “volumes have allowed us to project a sense of normalcy”.

“At some point we will have to move from volume to value because we are not going to sustain these numbers.

“In short term, my worry is that these numbers will spike because the train will start coming directly into valley from next year and then the volumes will rise. But then at some time we will have to move from volume to value and that’s when making ourselves attractive for foreign tourists is a way to go,” he said.

Abdullah also said that he is in talks with the Civil Aviation Ministry to develop an airstrip in Kishtwar under ‘Udan’ scheme.

He said Jammu tourism is a “blank canvas” as he sought help of businessmen and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to develop the region and new destinations in the Kashmir Valley as traditional hubs have become saturated.

He said one of the regrets in the government is that Jammu has pilgrim tourism by the grace of God as one crore plus yatris come to the Vaishno Devi shrine for ‘darshan’, the “sad fact is that we have not been able to divert them to other tourist destination in the region”.

“Now, if we were able to divert 15 per cent of them that is 15 lakh… a number that has sustained tourism in Kashmir for decades,” he said.

“…Maybe we made the Yatra much easier and because connectivity is so good that they just come in, finish the ‘darshan’ and leave. It really is a challenge and I don’t think I have an easy answer for you,” he said.

The chief minister also invited filmmakers from south India to start looking J&K as the movie making destination.