The Department of Tourism in collaboration with District Administration Anantnag today organised a day long festival at Tourism Park, Verinag.The festival was jointly inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Dr Piyush Singla, Director Tourism GN Itoo. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner said that Verinag is an important tourist destination and constant efforts are being made to enhance the destination with modern state of the art tourist infrastructure.Dr Singla said such festivals are instrumental in boosting the tourist footfall and hoped that more such festivals will be organized at other tourist destinations of the district. He lauded the artists for their breathtaking performances. Director Tourism Kashmir in his address said that Verinag offers scenic beauty at par with other major tourist destinations. He appealed to the tourists to visit Verinag and experience the serenity and hospitality of the place.
He said the Department is planning to link Verinag with the tourist circuit of the valley.During the day long festival programmes like a cycling event which involved participation of school children from Verinag were held. The race was held from Verinag to Dooru. A painting competition and tug of war with participation of local children was another highlight of the event. On the occasion, various stalls were set up by line departments including Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, ICDS, Handicrafts, etc to showcase their crafts and spread awareness about their schemes. Scintillating performances by various artists pulled the crowd to their feet. The participating artists and students were felicitated by Director Tourism. He appreciated the artists and children for the acts performed by them. It is in place to mention that the Department of Tourism is conducting cultural festivals at 38 offbeat tourist destinations across Kashmir.Joint Director Tourism, Tabasum Kamili, senior officials from Tourism Department, District Administration, officials from various line departments, PRI members and members of civil society were present on the occasion.