Srinagar, 23-May: In Kashmir, the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting of G20 was formally inaugurated today.Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, G. Kishen Reddy, Minister of State in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, Lieutenant Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Ajay Bhatt, G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant and others were present on the occasion.In his address, Minister of Tourism and Culture, G Kishen Reddy said that the Government of India is committed to working with all G20 countries and other stakeholders to promote sustainable growth of tourism sector. He expressed optimism that the joint efforts made by the delegates and stakeholders of trade and tourism will result in inclusive and action-oriented progress. Reddy informed that the five priority points – Green Tourism, Skills, Tourism MSMEs, Digitalization and Destination management were endorsed by the participating G20 delegates.Minister of State in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, in his speech, said that apart from traditional forms of tourism, Kashmir has a huge potential in Science and Agri tourism. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre has been focussing on aiding J&K on all fronts to develop the UT as the best tourist destination.Addressing the gathering, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, while welcoming the delegates, said that he was using this opportunity to invite the world to give J&K a chance to host them. He said that for the past 30 years, J&K suffered from terrorism. However, the Narendra Modi-led Government has demolished and isolated the terror ecosystem. He further said that the thriving tourism in J&K is also a reflection of multi-religious and multi-cultural ethos of India. He said that last year, the tourism sector has contributed 7 percent to the GDP of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the J&K administration and the Government of India were working hard to develop tourism infrastructure in the UT and are also planning to open new tourist destinations and avenues in the area.India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, G20 chief coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh also spoke on the occasion.
