As a big boost to promote JK as the winter destination the national winter games federation has awarded this year’s national winter games to Gulmarg.This was announced by the secretary tourism Farooq Ahmad Shah while chairing a meeting with director Tourism Kashmir, General Secretary JK winter games association and other officials in Srinagar Sunday.The participants from different states will arrive on 31th to take part in activities like skiing and other winter games on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th January 2016 and then will depart on 5th January.This mega event will be jointly organized by JK tourism, Jammu Kashmir winter games association and Indian association of skiing and mountaineering IASM.The secretary said that these games were organized in Kashmir in the year 1998, 2004 and 2008 since then it is after the gap of almost seven years this big event has been awarded to Jammu Kashmir and for which i am grateful to the India Olympic and national winter games federation of India.
Farooq Ahmad Shah said that our state as a whole has potential to become international attraction for such events specifically for winter games because we have immense potential which has to be utilized in places like Gulmarg, Patnitop, Pahalgam and Sonamarg and CM is seriously monitoring the process of upgradation of relevant infrastructure in these places .The secretary urged the tourism department, JKTDC and other associations and bodies to work rigorously for realizing the dream of CM who wants to see JK as round the year tourism destination and one of the best in the world.The secretary was briefed about the positive response and queries, bookings received by the department.The secretary added that organizing of this mega event I Gulmarg will be a big and effective promotional tool to showcase the winter tourism potential of Jammu and Kashmir at national and international level. (KNS)