SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) convened an urgent meeting today, attended by representatives from twenty hotel, houseboat, travel, and tour organisations, to address the fallout from the Department of Tourism’s abrupt decision to withdraw from the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) scheduled to be held in Mumbai from January 30 to February 1.
The Department of Tourism, which has consistently participated in tourism promotion fairs for over two decades, had allocated space at the OTM for representatives of various associations this year. Many participants had already travelled to Mumbai when they were informed, at the eleventh hour, that the department had cancelled its participation, rendering their entry cards and allocation letters useless.
Meeting attendees voiced their frustration at what they described as gross mismanagement by the tourism department, which left stakeholders in a financially burdensome position. Travel and tour operators had paid Rs 10,000 as participation fees to the department and made significant investments in travel, accommodation, and promotional materials, only to find themselves excluded from the event.
The participants criticised the department’s negligence, stating that the incident undermined Kashmir’s tourism sector and tarnished the region’s reputation as a premier travel destination. The absence of Kashmir’s representation at the prominent event, they argued, would result in lost opportunities to showcase the region’s cultural and natural heritage to a national audience.
The stakeholders also highlighted recurring issues with the tourism department, including cumbersome registration processes and the department’s lack of engagement in other crucial promotional events. They expressed discontent with what they termed the department’s lack of experience and demanded the formation of a Tourism Board to oversee operations.
Participants called on the Chief Minister to order a high-level inquiry into the incident, which they believe has sent negative signals about Kashmir’s tourism industry. They also warned that future participation in tourism department-organised events would be reconsidered unless serious reforms are undertaken.
The meeting was attended by representatives from KCCI, TASK, KHAROA, UTTA, JKHARA, TAFOK, AKTO, DTOAK, TAAK, ATOAK, KHBOA, PLTOF, TAFI, IATO, TTIG, JKTA, ADTOI, PHAROA, and HC.
