Tag Archives: Jammu and Kashmir

Commences sale for daily flights connecting Srinagar and Mumbai Akasa Air, India’s fastest-growing airline, announced the addition of Srinagar as the 20th destination to its expanding network. Starting 1st March 2024, the airline will operate daily flights between the financial capital – Mumbai and Paradise on Earth – Srinagar catering to the growing air travel demand between these two cities. This network expansion is a significant milestone as it marks the airline’s entry into the state of Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening its domestic presence in the northern part of the country. Travellers can book flights starting February 2, 2024, on Akasa Air’s website www.akasaair.com, Android and iOS app or through multiple leading OTAs. Srinagar, often called a ‘Paradise on Earth’, has witnessed a consistent increase in travel demand over the past years. The launch of operations on the route will cater to a blend of business and leisure travellers and will bolster connectivity, trade, and tourism in the region. With this launch, Akasa Air seamlessly connects Mumbai to 13 cities across India. Commenting on the announcement, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, “We are thrilled to announce operations from Srinagar – our 20th destination in the network. Known for its picturesque mountains and enchanting valleys, Srinagar has witnessed an uptick in domestic and international tourism and our flight launch will further boost economic activity in the region. Akasa Air is in growth mode and has achieved a milestone of adding 20 destinations to our network in just 17 months of operations, becoming the fastest-growing airline in the history of Indian aviation.” Commenting on the launch, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience officer, Akasa Air …

Speaking at the third G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in Srinagar, G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant said, “PM Narendra Modi believes that tourism has the biggest multiplier effect being the biggest job creator and this G20 meeting will lead to more job creation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tourism stakeholders in Kashmir hope the upcoming G20 meeting in Srinagar will lead to the lifting of travel advisories by the US and EU countries. The move could provide a boost to the tourism industry, said Syed Abid Rashid, Tourism Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the order issued by general administration department (GAD), Jammu and Kashmir government is all set to outsource assets of tourism department and has set up a panel to decide the mechanism of executing the plan in a phased manner. 

Jammu and Kashmir has registered a tourist footfall of 1.62 crore for the first time in the history of 75 years of independent India. Reports have revealed that the tourism sector has seen a significant boost in April 2022 with the highest-ever record of 102 to and fro flights as well as around 15,199 average daily passengers.

Zeeshan Khan, Assistant Director, Kashmir Tourism said that to celebrate 75 years of independence, Jammu and Kashmir government has identified 75 off-beat destinations among which 38 are in Kashmir and 37 in Jammu”. The Jammu and Kashmir government is focusing on campaigns aiming at confidence building. The government is also focusing on capacity-building programs, as a result of these rigorous promotions, the state witnessed a record-high tourist footfall of 6,00,000 this year.

The tourism department of Jammu and Kashmir has revealed that 600,000 tourists have visited the valley in the past four months—the highest in the last ten years. The famous Kashmir valley has hotels and houseboats fully booked with tourists queuing up for shikara rides on the Dal Lake. The tourist destination is witnessing record-breaking tourist footfall in the past one decade.

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, had an interaction with the Administrative Secretaries of different Departments in Srinagar today. Kant said that long term growth needs the involvement of private players in a transparent and competitive manner.”The industrial sector is the one having a major role in creating jobs, therefore focus on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ which will help bring in private players and that NITI will support the government through transaction advisors in range sectors that may need to involve private players, besides, creating an ecosystem for large companies,” he added.

Jammu and Kashmir get first-ever cruise facility with musical fountain in Dal Lake, attracting tourists in large numbers, reveals Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Ind. Charge) Science&Tech and (Ind. Charge) Earth Sciences. He called it a historic breakthrough in tourism sector on his recent visit to the Union Territory.

Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir, has announced a Rs 3 crore relief package for people employed in the tourism industry, which has seen severe impact by the second wave of Covid-19. “In this package, Rs 2,000 financial assistance will be provided to 4,444 registered ‘shikara’ owners, 1,370 tourist guides, 6,663 ‘ponywalas’ and 2,150 others, including those who rent palanquins for yatris. The money will be paid for two months. The relief will be transferred to only those who are registered with the tourism department,” revealed an official of the tourism department.