Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 27: Principal Secretary Tourism Department, Navin Kumar Choudhary today chaired a meeting of tourism stakeholders of Jammu and discussed issues confronting the fraternity.
During the meeting, it was deliberated to have a single umbrella for all the registered associations in Jammu division.
Director Tourism Jammu, Deepika K. Sharma was directed to invite all travel/tour operators to participate in the upcoming ‘Investors’ Summit’, besides installation of the stalls in the summit by the Tourism Department.
The Principal Secretary directed the concerned officers to take up the matter regarding problems being faced by the travel/tour operators due to road side pick and drop of tourists visiting Jammu.
The issue regarding exorbitant air-fare being charged by the airlines also came up for discussion. The meeting decided to take up the matter at the appropriate level.
Tourism Department was asked to facilitate destination linkage to pilgrim/tourist places like Katra, Shiv Khori, Patnitop, Bhaderwah by exploring means with the concerned department like plying of tourist coaches and buses. The meeting also deliberated about other issues faced by the hoteliers, travel, tour operators.
Navin Choudhary stressed that they should be facilitated by the Tourism Department under ease-of-doing business.
On the issue of pollution of water bodies, Director Tourism was asked to take up the issue with the Jammu Municipal Corporation with respect to installation of STPs in their existing/old units by facilitating them under existing plan of municipality.
The meeting opined to hold annual Festivals or Melas by the district administrations in collaboration with the Culture Department.
Among others present in the meeting were Rajesh Gupta, Chairman, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Tourism Stakeholders Association, Pawan Gupta, President, All Jammu Hotels & Lodges Association of Jammu, B. B. Kotwal, Chairman, Bhaderwah Tour & Travel Association, Amrik Singh, President, Jammu Association of Tour Operators, Rajeev Gupta, General Secretary, Jammu Paryatan Vikas Mandal and Raman Suri, General Secretary Tourism Federation of Jammu.