Jammu & Kashmir to become an ecotourism hub

The state of Jammu & Kashmir is soon to become an ecotourism hub. According to a PTI report, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Tourism & Cultural Minister of Jammu & Kashmir has declared that the state will work on various projects to make it a hub of ecotourism. Instructions have also been given to the concerned authorities to make ecotourism a theme for sightseeing tours in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

During his visit to the Surinsar Health Resort yesterday, the tourism minister said, “Our focus will be to stop selfish human interference into our state's serene environs and for this many ecotourism initiatives to protect fragile areas will be taken up.” During his visit, Jora was accompanied by Sarita Chauhan, Tourism Director, Jammu and Soujanya Sharma, CEO, Surinsar-Mansar. The authorities informed the minister that work is underway to develop the tourism infrastructure at Surinsar and that a sum of Rs 20 crore were being spent to develop the tourist friendly infrastructure at Surinsar and Mansar lakes.

Further, the tourism minister pleaded the major tourism industry players and the people of the state to lend a hand towards projecting the hilly state as an eco-friendly tourist destination. The minister added that the issues of climate change and global warming are the major challenges and expert consultancy firms are required to handle the ecotourism projects in the state. “We have to create a balance between tourism and environment so that this vital industry becomes sustainable in the long run”, concluded Jora. �