World Bank team concludes six-day J&K visit

Jammu, July 26: A high-level team from the World Bank concluded its six-day visit to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, following a series of key meetings at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu aimed at exploring funding avenues for the sustainable development of tourism infrastructure.According to official sources, the World Bank delegation held back-to-back meetings on Friday and Saturday with top officers and field staff of various departments, including the Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), Roads & Buildings (R&B), Forest Department, and other line departments involved in tourism-related development.”The meetings focused on gathering inputs and feedback from senior officials and ground staff about infrastructure needs and strategies for promoting tourism in a systematic and sustainable manner,” sources told Rising Kashmir, requesting anonymity.Before the Secretariat-level consultations, the World Bank team also engaged with multiple stakeholders and concerned departments across the UT to understand challenges and opportunities in tourism development.During their visit, the team conducted on-ground assessments at several tourist destinations across both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The visit was aimed at evaluating potential funding needs and identifying areas for infrastructure enhancement to boost the region’s tourism sector.The delegation’s exit on Saturday marked the end of an extensive evaluation mission, seen as a step forward in possible collaboration between the World Bank and the J&K Government to modernize tourism infrastructure and unlock the region’s economic potential through sustainable tourism.