Kunal Shrivatsa
Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 29: The Directorate of Tourism Department, Jammu recently conducted a series of promotional tours of hoteliers as well as tour and travel operators from Jammu, Katra, Patnitop and Bhaderwah to different cities of Punjab in a bid to woo the tourists from the neighbouring state.
However, all the 'hullabaloo' involved in giving a much needed impetus to the tourism sector in Jammu region could prove to be a futile exercise as except the attraction of performing pilgrimage of holy abode of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and to some extent the hill resort of Patnitop, there is nothing much more to offer to the tourists from either Punjab or any other part of the country.
The Tourism Department exhibited major sites of the region with special focus on Patnitop circuit as independent tourist destination in the four road shows organized at Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jallandhar and Amritsar in the last few days.
Though the entire exercise was aimed at increasing the tourist inflow from other parts of the country particularly the neighboring states bordering J&K but achieving the rise in the number of tourists is an uphill task as apart from Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, all other destinations in Jammu province including Patnitop are still deprived of the basic infrastructure is urgently needed to cater to the needs of the tourists.
Provision of smooth roads, regular electricity as well as water supply are some of the issues confronting major tourist destinations which comes as a big impediment in attracting visitors from outside the state.
In its recent promotional initiatives, the Tourism Department showcased and projected famous Mansar lake, Sanasar lake and a Golf Course near it, Sudh Mahadev, Mantalai and Bhadrewah as dream destinations to visit but the hierarchy in the department should not forget that the roads leading to all such tourist centres are in shambles for years together now which need to be repaired without any further delay, if, intention of the department is to enhance the tourist rush to these places of attraction.
"When all the destinations being projected during the promotion campaign lack an hassle free road journey, how on earth can the officers of the department think that making promotional trips by spending lakhs of rupees could help the cause," wishing anonymity, a tour and travel operator told Early Times.
"Leave aside the travellers from other states of the country, even the locals hardly visit such tourist spots which otherwise have great potential if the basic infrastructure is improved and developed in a planned manner…. Until this happens there is remote chance of getting an increased tourist inflow," he added.
The tour operator further said that moreover there is hardly any provision of entertainment, leisure activities in almost all the tourist places of Jammu region which could help in extending the stay of tourists from presently one or two days' duration to a longer period of time.
Although, the Directorate of Tourism Department, Jammu is overwhelmed with the response it received in different cities of Punjab in the process of catching attention of the tourists but the procedure could only be bracketed as a fit case of turning blind eye from the realities which in turn could prove counterproductive. |
