Omar says government will develop religious circuits, boost Jammu’s economy

JAMMU: Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, on Tuesday said his govt will develop and publicize tourism hotspots to attract Vaishno Devi pilgrims to Jammu and nearby locations, reaffirming their commitment to boost the region’s economy.

Responding to a supplementary query by Yudhvir Sethi, MLA, in the assembly, the CM, who also holds charge of the tourism department, said concerted efforts are being made to publicize every tourism asset in the region.

“The department is actively working on developing the Jammu pilgrimage circuit. I have repeatedly emphasized this to more than 1 crore Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims. If even 10%-15% of them can be encouraged to visit other tourist destinations in Jammu, it will significantly benefit the region. However, we have not been able to achieve this so far,” he said.

“We aim to develop structured itineraries for three-day, four-day, and seven-day pilgrimage tours and promote them effectively. We will ensure widespread distribution of promotional literature at trade and tourism fairs to attract visitors,” he said.

“Developing tourism destinations alone is not enough. Sites like Jammu’s heritage landmarks, the forthcoming Jammu lake and the Jammu zoo are significant attractions, but they need better branding and visibility,” he said, adding, “We must give these destinations distinct identity and promote them effectively. It is true that there has not been adequate publicity so far, but we are committed to addressing this.”

Earlier, in response to a starred question of Sethi, Omar highlighted the efforts of the tourism department in developing infrastructure to attract more tourists to Jammu city. “Several projects have been implemented under the State Capex Budget and Swadesh Darshan Scheme,” he told the house.

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