The 3 rd Tourism Working Group Meeting begins in Srinagar
May 24,Chennai-Under India’s G20 Presidency, the 3 rd Tourism Working Group meeting in
Srinagar, Jammu, & Kashmir began on May 22 2023, Monday. The G20 delegates were
accorded a traditional welcome upon their arrival at the Srinagar airport. Along with the
delegates, Union Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant attended
the first day of the meeting. The three–day meeting saw participation from 60 foreign
delegates and around 65 representatives of various organizations related to tourism from
across the country. Security has been beefed up across the valley with the help of NSG and
Marine commandos to protect the region.
On the first day of the meeting, a side event focused on promoting film tourism was
organized at the Sher-e-Kashmir Convention Centre. During the event deliberations were
held on the topic ‘India as a Film Tourism Destination’. Lastly, there was a panel discussion
on ‘the economic benefits of film tourism from a global perspective’ and ‘the impact of film
tourism on the destination.’
G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant gave opening remarks during this event. He shared, ‘that this
mega event in Kashmir will have a positive impact and bring peace, prosperity, and jobs in
the State.’ He added, “The tourism industry will grow with this meeting, and high-impact
tourists will come.” During this event, various speakers highlighted the various challenges
and country-specific initiatives adopted to promote destinations through films. The panel
discussion saw participation from Spain, Singapore, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil,
and India.
During the 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting, the representatives also visited the Arts and
Crafts Market organized by the Government.
The three-day event will focus on five key priority areas including Green Tourism,
Digitization, Skilling, Tourism MSME, and Destination. The 3 rd meeting of the tourism group
will provide a unique opportunity for the people of the valley to showcase their rich culture
and tradition to the world besides highlighting the tourism potential and cultural richness of
the region.
On, the last day of the meeting, the foreign delegates would visit Polo View, Jhelum River
Front, and among other places in Srinagar city to experience the majestic Kashmir. The first
meeting of the Tourism Working Group was held in February in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat
and the second in April in Siliguri, West Bengal.