Boosting rural tourism will strengthen J&K’s economy: Secretary Tourism

Jammu, June 04: Secretary Tourism Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Sunday said that boosting rural tourism enterprises will have a multiplier effect on the overall economy of Jammu and Kashmir and shall usher the union territory into an era of self-reliance and growth. He reiterated the immense tourism potential in the Jammu region and its cultural richness saying it provides for a great opportunity for all stakeholders to invest their resources in the hospitality sector.
Shah was speaking at a three-day business workshop on ‘Homestay Capacity Building’ organized by the Directorate of Tourism for interested stakeholders and intending local entrepreneurs, which concluded here on Sunday at TRC Jammu. The first–of–its–kind workshop intended to sensitize the participants regarding various aspects of homestay business and the skill enhancement of participating stakeholders in this regard.
The valedictory ceremony was presided over by Secretary Tourism and was also graced by MD and CEO J&K Bank, Baldev Prakash. The workshop witnessed various capacity-building training modules, and brainstorming sessions along with detailed informative presentations by experts from J&K Bank, Grameen Bank, Make My Trip and faculty members from Jammu University besides detailed presentations by senior officers of Tourism Department.
The participants were acquainted with different aspects of the Homestay Registration Process with the Tourism Department, schemes of J&K Bank, formal aspects of functional operations for homestays, guidelines and procedural aspects involved therein.
A field exposure visit was also organized for all the participants on the second day of the workshop in which the participating delegates were taken to Hotel visits for formal interaction and on-field exposure to the hospitality sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary stressed upon the need to organize more such workshops and exposure interactions for the interested homestay stakeholders. He appealed to the participants to keep themselves updated about technological advancements and sustainable practices, focus on socio-cultural tourism aspects and take benefit from various government schemes. He assured that the Tourism Department shall provide all assistance to all interested stakeholders and youth volunteers for establishing their own homestay enterprises.
While addressing the participants, Baldev Prakash assured that the J&K Bank is committed to supporting all budding enterprises and shall afford all assistance to young entrepreneurs, especially interested homestay stakeholders.
Director LEAD, Manish Ahluwalia, also appealed to all participants to keep working in their endeavor to establish and run homestays and boost the rural economy along with the generation of self-employment opportunities.
Director Tourism, Vivekanand Rai, highlighted the tourism potential of the Jammu region vis-à-vis Rural Tourism, Heritage Tourism, Experiential Tourism and Leisure Tourism. He also highlighted the role of tourism in fostering cultural exchange and building bridges between communities in the modern-day context.