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| Mir to have dress code for guides, ponnywallas | | Promoting tourism | |
Srinagar, Jan 28 : The exponential increase in tourist influx in Kashmir even after the prominent politico-religious group, Jamaat-e-Islami issued a dress advisory to the tourists in July last year, the Tourism department is confronted with yet another challenge-this time not from any separatist group but from the tourist guides and other people associated with the industry following reports of creating bad image by annoying the tourists. Cheating or deceiving the guests-something unusual of Kashmir society- has commenced as many people who are directly involved with the tourism business unfortunately have resorted to deceitful tactics. Only recently reports about ponnywalas of Gulmarg creating bad image by forcing tourists for rides has been a concern for the department. On the other hand cases of selling fake saffron for hefty sums, deceiving tourists by providing poor services as against the promised services and dummy tourist guides were quite embarrassing for the Tourism Department.
It is in this backdrop that G A Mir who replaced Nawang Rigzin Jora as Minister for Tourism has conceived a proposal for issuing a dress code for tourist guides, ponnywalas and other such people who are the direct beneficiary of the tourism industry. Talking to Early Times, G A Mir Monday said that his ministry was conceiving a proposal for Dress Advisory for the tourist guides in order to provide better but secured environ for tourists.
"This is really a great cause of concern for the department; my ministry is working on a proposal to provide better facilities to the tourists. For that we have to improve the infrastructure on one hand and on the other hand to ensure that our guests do not fall in wrong hands" Mir said. He said that Kashmir was a natural tourist destination and it should be the priority of the government to preserve and promote the destination besides creating tourist infrastructure in other two regions of the state. About the expenses incurred on road shows in foreign countries, Mir said that it is the government of India which bears the expenses on such shows.
"It is actually the Tourism Ministry of India which conceives and organizes road shows and conferences in foreign countries and it is that ministry which deputes the J&K tourism department to such conferences and shows to promote tourism." Mir said that it was needed particularly when many countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens for J&K. He said that the department has on the domestic front successfully conveyed the message to the tourists that Kashmir was as safe a place in the country as Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. |
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