Srinagar, Feb 16: Following webinars with Gujarat and Maharashtra tour and travel fraternities, Director Tourism, Kashmir, Dr G N Itoo Tuesday interacted with the West Bengal tour and travel fraternity through a webinar organized by the J&K Tourism's Kolkata office. Heads of major travel associations, tour operators and travel agents participated in the webinar.

The webinar panel comprised of Director Tourism, Kashmir, Dr G N Itoo, Deputy Director, Tourism Publicity Ideel Saleem, ATO Kolkata, Ahsan-ul-haq and Manav Soni, Chairman, TAAI, Eastern Region, Sanjeev Mehta, President SKAL, Kolkata, Nilanjan Basu, Secretary TAAB, Madan Agarwal, President, ATSPB and Shivani Agarwal ATSPB and others.

Dr Itoo, during the interaction, highlighted the “long association of West Bengal with J&K Tourism and how over the years this bond between the people of both regions has strengthened and how this relationship can move forward.” Dr Itoo presented the calendar of promotional activities slated for the upcoming spring and summer season, both within and outside J&K including holding of Pahalgam Festival next week, Almond Bloom festival in spring at Badamwari Srinagar, Tulip Festival in April and Houseboat Festival in the summer. "The Department will be organizing festivals and tourism promotional activities across all destinations of J&K,” he said and added that more tourist destinations including Sonmarg, Doodhpathri, Yusmarg and Kokernag are being opened early for the tourists following improvements in weather conditions.

Dr Itoo also apprised the tour operators of Bengal about the measures put in place, including those related to COVID, to ensure that “tourists visiting J&K have a comfortable and a memorable stay.” In response to some queries raised during the webinar, Dr Itoo assured the tour operators of Bengal that these will be looked into for “prompt resolution.”

The Bengal Tour & Travel Fraternity members reiterated that J&K will continue to remain as the “most preferred destination for the tour and travel fraternity of West Bengal.”