PM Modi’s Kashmir
or less a steep downward trend, more so since last year.
The New Year’s Eve celebrations at Lal Chowk in Srinagar further symbolized the evolving dynamics of the region following the abrogation of Article 370. Things seem likely to improve further this year.
One biggest indicator of the new normalcy, as recurrently highlighted by the home minister Amit Shah, has been the growth of tourism, And last year is said to have broken all previous records with tourists arrival said to have crossed over one crore, the highest so far, beating by far even the pre-turmoil period record. This has generated employment for the thousands of people who had lost their jobs during Covid pandemic. Going forward, the situation looks set to only improve further, hopefully with all other political and social drivers of the place remaining unchanged.
Besides, with a significant increase in foreign tourist arrivals, travel agents anticipate further global promotion of Kashmir’s tourism. The prospects of foreign tourists from Thailand, Europe, and the Gulf visiting in large numbers have raised hopes for a robust winter tourism season in the coming months.
It remains to be seen what the PM would say in his keenly awaited speech. From all indications, the speech would largely be development-focussed. The PM’s announcements are anticipated to include a Rs 5,000-crore “Holistic Agriculture Development Programme” and 52 tourism-related projects worth Rs 140 crore.
Though the address will have a distinct political dimension, much of that will be of relevance to the ongoing national political scene than Kashmir. However, according to some social media posts, the PM is likely to promise restoration of statehood to J&K following parliamentary elections which his party is favourite to win. Or at least a promise of Assembly elections.
The visit comes amid calls from political parties in the Valley for simultaneous Assembly elections with the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, as J&K has been without an elected government since 2018. And should this “Modi ki guarantee” be promised, it will certainly create a lot of goodwill for him in both Kashmir and Jammu. under Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. The innovative scheme, announced during Union Budget 2023-24, aims to provide end-to-end tourist experiences by catalysing development of tourist destinations while also promoting sustainability and ushering competitiveness in the tourism sector.
The 42 destinations have been identified in four categories (16 in Culture & Heritage Destination; 11 in spiritual destinations; 10 in Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar; and 5 in Vibrant Village).
Prime Minister Modi will launch the first ever nation-wide initiative to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism, in the form of ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’.
The aim of the nation-wide poll is to engage with citizens to identify most preferred tourist attractions and understand tourist perceptions across five tourism categories - Spiritual, Cultural & Heritage, Nature & Wildlife, Adventure, and other categories. Besides the four main categories, the ‘other’ category is where one can vote for their personal favourites and help uncover hidden tourism gems in the form of unexplored tourism attractions and destinations like Vibrant Border Villages, Wellness Tourism, Wedding Tourism etc.
The prime minister will launch the ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign’ with an aim to inspire the Indian diaspora to become Incredible India ambassadors and promote tourism to India.
The campaign is being launched based on the clarion call of the prime minister, wherein he requested the Indian diaspora members to encourage at least five non-Indian friends to travel to India.
With more than three crore overseas Indians, the diaspora can serve as a powerful catalyst for Indian tourism, acting as cultural ambassadors, the handout reads.