New focus
Villages are in the focus of Jammu and Kashmir administration and many of them will come on tourist map now. Recently Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, said that the administration will recognize the uniqueness of each village and showcase the landscape, foster the indigenous knowledge system and promote cultural diversity and heritage of these villages.
It has been learnt that the initiative has also been launched keeping in view the potential of J&K for film shooting purposes. The initiative is also aimed to promote shooting of films and offering financial aid to the villages for their sustainable development.
He maintained that all villages which are part of the initiative will also be provided a digital footprint. This move is also aimed at providing maximum job opportunities to youth from different backgrounds and ensuring their participation in the policies that have an impact on their lives.
As per officials, the initiative of Tourist Village Network has the potential and propensity to mobilize the diverse geographical and socio-economic landscape of the Union Territory.
There are several regions in J&K which despite having greater tourism potential have not been able to garner requisite attention due to infrastructural bottlenecks. Destinations which lag behind in the sphere of tourism infrastructure, can overcome the downsides by introducing home stays as a means of accommodation facilities for the tourists which do not require heavy investment. .
It is important to note that the government started the movement of promoting home stay tourism in the UT by launching Panchari, a village in Udhampur district with mesmerizing beauty as the first tourist village with home stays.
