To give an impetus to the Pilgrimage Tourism and to get first-hand experience of tourist spots of the picturesque region, Joint Director Tourism Jammu, Sunaina Sharma Mehta, under the guidance of Secretary Tourism J&K, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, and Director Tourism Jammu, Vivekanand Rai, embarked on a two-day tour of the Rajouri district to explore its beautiful tourist locations and assess its tourism potential.
On the first day of her tour, she visited the world-renowned Shahdara Sharief, which is one of the most popular religious sites in Rajouri among other famous sites of pilgrimage circuit which includes Mangla Mata Temple, Dudhadhari Mandir, Veer Bhadreshwar Temple & others.
Shadra-Sharief, a beautiful shrine standing atop a beautiful hillock near Thanna Mandi is dedicated to the revered Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah. Every year, pilgrims in lakhs visit the shrine to seek blessings.
On the second day, she visited the offbeat tourist destination of Dera ki Gali, nestled amidst verdant woods and mountain peaks and various other Tourist and religious destinations.
Later, she interacted with various stakeholders in the Tourism industry at Rajouri town which includes members from travel trade fraternity, hotel industry, public representatives and others.
During her interaction, she assured them of all possible support in addressing their genuine issues and grievances. She emphasized upon the importance of constant and structured consultations on issues to work out solutions and enhance the standards of the tourism sector.
She also laid stress on taking tourist feedback and idea exchange between the stakeholders and the Department, which she termed as critical to augment the growth of the industry. Prominent among those who spoke during the interactive session included Rajesh Gupta (President Beopar Mandal Rajouri), Councillors Mushtaq Ahmed & Sanjay Sharma, Tahir Lone, Haji Alam Din, and Umer Malik among others.
During her visit, Ms. Mehta emphasized the need to upscale the standards of the tourism industry in Rajouri and promote homestay registration with J&K Tourism Department to generate employment opportunities for the local youth.
She also urged them to get themselves registered under the J&K Homestay policy dated 30th June 2022 for which the Department of Tourism shall ensure full facilitation and cooperation. She also stressed the promotion of offbeat destinations in the district to attract more visitors. ADT Rajouri, Mr Arif Lone, JKAS also accompanied the Joint Director Tourism during her visit.
She directed the concerned officials to come up with a tourism plan to promote heritage tourism in the region so that guided tours for visitors can be organized. The region's natural beauty, heritage monuments, and diverse culture provide ample opportunities for adventure and cultural tourism, making it an ideal destination for visitors.
The proactive approach of the Directorate of Tourism Jammu in promoting tourism in the Rajouri district has been hailed by the general public and local stakeholders, who thanked Ms Mehta for her visit and the assurance of support to develop the tourism industry in Rajouri.
Interacting with the media at the end of the session, she highlighted that the picturesque areas of the Rajouri district have ample scope for development, and encouraged the local people to come together and take advantage of the homestay scheme offered by the tourism department.
She informed the media that so far, 72 homestays have been registered by the department under the Homestay policy which shall be further boosted in the future. Mehta also noted that the Rajouri district attracts a large number of local picnickers during the summer season, and the idyllic beauty of the place offers perfect leisure, pleasure, and relaxation for visitors.
She emphasized the importance of promoting the district’s natural beauty, heritage monuments, and diverse culture to attract more visitors and boost tourism in the region.
She concluded by saying that with the right strategies and efforts, Rajouri has the potential to emerge as a tourism hub, contributing to the overall development of the region through income generation, investment and job creation. The proactive approach of the Directorate of Tourism Jammu, in promoting tourism in Rajouri district is a positive step towards achieving this goal.