Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 26: The G20 Tourism Group meeting, first international event in Srinagar since abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, is expected to give a big boost to tourism in Kashmir, especially the foreign tourism.
As per the G20 Secretariat, the Srinagar meeting of the G20 had the highest participation as compared to the other meetings.
In the 60-member delegation, there were delegates representing 17 G20 countries who attended the meeting besides representatives from around a dozen countries who were invited also took part in the meeting.
The 17 G20 countries which attended the meeting include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom and United States. China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey didn’t participate.
The delegates of the G20 meeting were mesmerized with the beauty of Kashmir and its hospitality. South Korean Ambassador to India, Chang Jae-Bok who attended the meeting was excited. He said that Kashmir was a wonderful place and was all praise for its beauty and hospitality.
A Polish who was part of the delegation said that the idea of holding the meeting in Kashmir was good for the place. “The biggest thing here is the nature, it is exotic for me as compared to Poland. The hospitality is very good and people are very helpful,” he said.
The local players from the tourism and trade expect a boost to the foreign tourism and local economy with the message the delegates are carrying to their countries back home.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) President Javid Ahmad Tenga said the G20 event will convey a message to foreign nations about the region and, in turn, inspire confidence among potential foreign tourists to visit Kashmir.
The delegates who attended the meeting were: Aneme Majan, South Africa, Deputy Director General; Mphile Nqobile Hadebe, South Africa, Assistant Director; Abraham Tan, Singapore, First Secretary; Simon Wie Kuen Wong, Singapore High Commissioner; Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh High Commissioner; Sandra Carvoa, UNWTO Chief Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness; Alice Cheng, Singapore, Deputy High Commissioner; Owen Harrod, Australia, Director G2O; Felix de Paz, Spain, Deputy Director General; Luisa Terranova; Elisa Maria Robles Fraga, Spain, Director Spanish Tourism Office India; Alba Perez Perez Spain Advisor; Rosangela Duso, Brazil, Ministry of Tourism; Rishi Purusram, Mauritius, Principal Tourism Planning Executive; Mohammad Salim Ferhat Joomun, Mauritius Permanent Secretary; Christina Chan, Singapore, Assistant Director; Mark Davidson, Australia, First Secretary; Abdul Shakoor Salim Al Yehyael, Oman, Project Manager; Atul Bagai, lndia, Head of India Country Office; Jaz Loo, Singapore, Senior Manager for International Relations; Joost van Oostenbruggen, Netherlands, Second Secretary; Ji Eun Park, Republic of Korea, First Secretary; Jae Bok Chang, Republic of Korea, Ambassador; Emanuele Dandrassi, Italy, Consul of ltaly in New Delhi; Ricardo Daniel Degado Munoz, Mexico, Head of Economic Affairs and Commercial Tourism Promotion; Vishal Bhatia, United Kingdom, Second Secretary; Julien Noret, France, Security Counsellor; Nigel Mears, United Kingdom, Second Secretary; Jun Tsumori, Japan, Counsellor; Sumit Shrama, India Programme Officer; Hanafi, Indonesia, Counseller at the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi; Yvon Guillaume, United States of America, First Secretary; Ahmad Sule, Nigeria, High Commissioner; Mridul Issar United States of America, Security Coordinator; Tijjani Idris Lawali, Nigeria, Second Secretary; Jomesh Joseph, Canada, Security Officer and Deep Barman, United Kingdom, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor.
The members from Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO) who attended the meeting were: Dorothy lhuaku Duruaku, Nigeria, Director; Sudipta Bhavyya Bhadra; ILO Chief Technical Advisor; Michael Bucki, European Union, Counsellor; Steffen Norbert Koch, Germany, Head of the Department for Economy and Globalisation; Ana Martin, UNWTO, Administrative Service Associate; Ekatesina Kennova, Russia, Advisor of the Ministry of Economic Development; Gustava Sousa Torres, Brazil, Senior International Advisor; Maria Belen Garcia Alcart, Argentina, Deputy Chief of Mission; Manisha Choudhary, UNEP, Programme Officer; Sumitro Kar, WTTO India, Executive Director; Selva Hansu, Tempo Tour Turkiye, Outgoing Operations Executive; Ammar Anvar Sajwani, UAE, Director of Tourism Development; Mehmeet Can Ozgul, Fivexpress, Operation Executive; Selen Sonmez, Fivexpress, Operation Executive; Phillip Cummings, USA, Economic Officer; Ahmad Tijani Olayivola, Nigeria, Minister Counsellor; Shamsa Almaktoum, UAE, Project Counsellor; Angela Graham, Canada, First Secretary; Conway James MacEachern, Furairah Holidays- UAE, General Manager; Khaldoon Adnan Assad Salman, Dadabhai Travels Saudi Arabia; Adnan Aziz Fida Hussain Gilitwala, Canada, Security Officer; Pradeep Kumar, Kanoo Travels- Saudi Arabia, Regional Client Relationship Manager and Amelia Tuckett, UK, Counsellor Foreign and Security Policy.
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