New Delhi- The third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held in Srinagar was “very successful” and this will contribute to boosting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and help in “allaying any fears” in the minds of visitors in future, a top official said on Friday.
Addressing reporters here, Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh also said that during the TWG meet held from May 22-24, G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organisations gave inputs and feedback on the GOA Roadmap for tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.
These two documents were the two key deliverables of the tourism track meet in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and Singh said, G20 members have broadly reached an agreement on the five inter-connected priority areas green tourism, digitisation, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination. These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieving the targets for 2030 SDGs.
“Some members will give their suggestions in writing by today, and then the final draft will be prepared,” he said.
The final versions of the documents will be placed in the fourth TWG meeting and Ministerial meeting, slated to take place in Goa next month. The GOA Roadmap and a ministerial communique endorsing it will be released after the last meeting of the G20 tourism working group that will take place from June 18-22.
“We have had three meetings of the G20 Tourism Working Group so far. The third one being in Srinagar, and it was very successful,” the Union Tourism Secretary said.
At the media interaction held on the G20 meet in Srinagar, Tourism Ministry officials made a presentation on the host of events held as part of the meeting, which included various events on promotion of films and visit to scenic places such as Nishat Garden and Pari Mahal, shikara ride on the Dal Lake and a meet at Royal Spring Golf Course, on the banks of the Dal Lake.
Asked if the G20 meeting held in Srinagar will bolster tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said, tourism in general will get a fillip from it, and film tourism in turn will get promoted which will feed into overall growth of tourism in the region.
He shared that in 2022, Jammu and Kashmir registered a record footfall of 1.88 crore tourists, out of whom 26 lakh had visited the Kashmir valley, adding that the number is expected to cross the two crore-mark for the year 2023.
These are domestic tourism figures, but foreign tourists arrivals are also expected to grow after the devastating impact on the sector by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, a group of tourists from Singapore had arrived in Kashmir in a chartered flight recently, around the time the G20 meet took place, he said.
Later interacting on the sidelines of the press conference, Singh said it has been seen that any place that hosts G20 meets registers a jump in tourism, and the successful organisation of the G20 meet in Srinagar will also help in “allaying any fears” in the minds of visitors in future and dispel any unfavourable notions they might have had.
Besides the main working group meeting, a side event on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’ was organised on May 22-23, focusing on strategies to promote film tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.
A draft ‘National Strategy on Film Tourism’ was unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films in promoting tourist destinations during the Srinagar meet.
The G20 delegates experienced the local culture of Jammu and Kashmir and got to see handicrafts and other works of artisans during their visit.
Papier-mache boxes, saffron, walnuts, Qahwa cups and brass spoons among other items produced locally, were given to delegate as souvenirs.
‘Bollywood Is Rediscovering Kashmir’
Singh shared how the third G20 tourism meeting from May 22-24 has brought ”renewed focus” on shooting of films in Jammu and Kashmir.
”Some days before the G20 meet, actors Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu shot for a film in Jammu and Kashmir. And, many other films, regional cinema and TV series are being shot in J&K now. So, the process is going on, and Bollywood is rediscovering Jammu and Kashmir. And the G20 meet taking place in Srinagar and presence of actors like Ram Charan of Oscar fame there, will further promote film tourism,” he said.
Charan, a lead actor in Telugu film ”RRR” whose ”Natu Natu” song became a global sensation and went on win the Oscar in the best original song category, had attended a session on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’ during the G20 meet.
”I am truly grateful for the opportunity to showcase the richness of our rooted culture & mysticism through our films at the G20 Summit. Indian Cinema possesses a unique beauty in its ability to impart valuable life lessons through highly relatable content,” he had tweeted on May 24.
Singh said the G20 meeting held in Srinagar will bolster tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, and film tourism in turn will get promoted which will feed into overall growth of tourism in the region.
He shared that in 2022, Jammu and Kashmir registered a record footfall of 1.88 crore tourists, out of whom 26 lakh had visited the Kashmir valley, adding that the number is expected to cross the two crore-mark for the year 2023.
He cited how films like ”Kashmir Ki Kali” romanced Kashmir in the 1960s and left a deep impression on people’s mind. Its delightful numbers sung by legendary singer Mohammed Rafi, are still in the consciousness of people, and often the subject of popular remixes.
Union Tourism Secretary Singh said in Pahalgam a valley got dubbed as ‘Betaab Valley’ after the famous film ”Betaab” (1983) was shot there. The movie of the romance genre, was Sunny Deol’s debut film.
In the 1964 film ”Kashmir Ki Kali”, Sharmila Tagore plays the role of a Kashmiri woman and cinema lovers still recall her cine avatar in traditional Kashmiri attire. Directed by Shakti Samanta with music by O P Nayyar, the opening credits of the film offers natural vignettes of the Valley in the background.
Between 1960-1990, a number of films were shot in Kashmir before militancy reared its ugly head.
However, in the last few years, tourism has picked up again in Jammu and Kashmir, and the local Union territory administration has also brought out a film policy to incentivise film shooting there.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir is trying to make the best possible efforts towards creation of a vibrant film ecosystem in the UT, says the website of the J&K Film Policy 2021.
The steps taken to create a suitable environment and promotion of film production in Jammu and Kashmir, include ”administrative assistance to ease film making in Jammu & Kashmir by setting up single-window cell to grant permission for shooting films, preferably within 2-4 weeks”, it says.
Other films shot in Kashmir in the last few years include ”Haider”, ”The Kashmir Files”, ”Highway”, ”Raazi”, ”Fitoor” and ”Notebook”.
Asked if film tourism based on shooting locations circuit can be developed in India, as in many foreign countries, Singh said, ”Yes, it can be”, adding, many state governments are also taking initiatives.
Film tourism, or film-induced tourism, is a specialised or niche form of tourism where visitors explore locations and destinations which have become popular due to their appearance in films and television series.
Globally, shooting locations of ”The Lord of the Rings” films in New Zealand, the ”Harry Potter” franchises in the UK, and ”Game of Thrones” series are now popular tourist sites as well.
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