In an endeavour to promote Jammu and Kashmir as a tourist destination in the gulf region, Indian Airlines (IA) has taken a bold initiative at the Arabian Travel Mart by announcing special promotional packages and fares.

Mohommed Ashraf, director general of tourism, Jammu & Kashmir, stated that the fares between Dubai and Srinagar had been slashed by 75 per cent to motivate travel from the Gulf area to Kashmir. “Any person buying tickets to Kashmir from the Gulf region will have to pay Rs 2,600 for a return ticket from Delhi to Srinagar and Rs 1,300 for a return trip to Jammu,” informed Ashraf.

“Dollar fares for foreigners flying IA from all regions where its flights are operating to India, have been slashed by 50 per cent for travel to Kashmir. Persons travelling by any other airline up to Delhi but taking IA flights to Srinagar and Jammu will pay 35 per cent less on the dollar fare,” he informed.

Apart from this, the Jammu & Kashmir tourism development corporation has reportedly worked out special tour packages with IA to facilitate visits to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. These include stay in five-star hotels and house-boats, transfers and sight-seeing trips to Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Travellers would be given thorough check-in facility at the place of origin and the IA transfer desk at the arrival lounge in Delhi airport, will reportedly arrange free transfers from the international to the domestic terminal from within the airport area without going out.

According to Ashraf, in order to initiate a sizable movement of tourists from the Gulf region, the J&K state tourism department plans to organise several familiarisation tours of travel agents, tour operators and media persons from Dubai and other GCC countries to Kashmir.

“This initiative will be taken in collaboration with IA, Jet Airways and Air-India, who will provide free passages to members of these groups from Kashmir (Srinagar and Leh). IA will concentrate on Jammu and Srinagar while A-I and Jet Airways will handle fam tours to Ladakh. This step is bound to give a boost to foreign inbound traffic to Kashmir from these short haul markets particularly due to problems being faced by Gulf travellers presently because of security considerations in the West and SARS in the East. Our promotion have in fact come at an opportune time. There is a potential market in the Gulf looking for alternate destinations and Kashmir can well be the answer to perfect summer getaway,” revealed Ashraf.

With a perfect strategy and aggressive promotions on the anvil, tourism arrivals in J&K may touch an all time high during the coming season.