1 DRAFT COPY OF PROPOSED JAMMU AND KASHMIR TOURISM POLICY Department of Tourism Government of Jammu and Kashmir
2 Introduction The vision for “ ” strives towards creating a Sustainable environment for growth and promotion of Tourism in J&K by addressing and providing guiding framework pertaining to governance tourist infrastructure, manpower, service standards and, safety and security of tourists.
3 Vision To make Tourism the Principle engine of Economic development in the State by positioning it as a leading global destination by the year 2025, Contribute to economic and social well being of the people of J&K state by providing employment opportunities, inclusive development and promotional policies with an aim to achieve internationally competitive tourism sector focused on sustainable growth".
4 Mission To develop J&K as a dynamic, sustainable and most-favoured Tourism destination - offering high quality experience to Tourists by providing congenial development framework for facilitating and accelerating investments and improving livelihood opportunities at the local level. To devise strategies for increasing arrival of domestic and international tourists.
5 Objectives of Kashmir Tourism Policy:Enhance the economic prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir State. To standardize the establishment of tourism products and services by eco friendly infrastructure. Developing potential new and emerging markets through targeted marketing strategies based on tourist profile. Enhancing Jammu and Kashmir’s Brand Image. To encourage a strong and sustainable private sector participation in creation of tourism infrastructure especially through public private partnerships. Diversification of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism products. To harness the opportunities available in the sector like Adventure, Caravan Tourism, Heliport Tourism, Handicrafts, Pilgrimage , MICE, heritage and Golf. Promote effective inter-departmental coordination to streamline processes and increase sector performance for longer and Tourism experience like horticulture, Agriculture, Sericulture. Etc.
6 Objectives of Kashmir Tourism Policy:To promote sustainable Tourism and encourage the conservation and preservation of Jammu and Kashmir unique natural and cultural heritage. Development of human resources for tourism sector and capacity building of the tourism stakeholders. Optimizing Tourism asset utilization by effective coordination across public and private sectors. Reinforcing Jammu and Kashmir’s as a safe and friendly destination. To develop tourism as an environmental friendly enterprise. To encourage Tourism Research and development. To ensure ‘total quality’ services to tourists. Introduction of modern Technologies and Information dissemination for tourist products and services.
7 Proposed strategies for development of Tourism infrastructureFor the infrastructure development, emphasis would be mainly on development of new tourist destinations and tourist circuits covering themes like sufi, mughal, heritage, cultural, tribal etc. focus will be on development of rural villages. Up gradation of products through renovation and restoration of hotels to enable them to match the international standards in the hospitality sector. Promote total quality service including site development, internal roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage, street lighting, landscaping, electricity, sewerage treatment plant by re-engineering of the existing units. Encourage heritage buildings to convert into heritage hotels and development of rural tourism. Facilitate development of accommodation for all customer segments through cottages, camping sites, dormitories, youth hostels & yatrinivas at tourist destinations with proper solid waste management. Maximize the revenue by leveraging resources of existing hotels through Public Private Partnership.
8 Tourism Infrastructure ladderknowledge Access Support Assets Primary Asset Asset Description History, information, Booking Road, Air- Distance frequency and costs Infrastructure ( roads, Hotels, Signage, PC, Restaurents etc) Destination location
9 Improve Accessibility at DestinationsImprove road connectivity to tourists destinations will be the priority by coordination with other government agencies/ departments in facilitating these development activities. Road signage generally do not exist at most of the places. This issue should be taken up on priority by all concerned because self-driven vehicles will become popular in the coming years. International standards (UNWTO) may be followed in the preparation of the road signages Vehicle standards will be clearly defined and administrated under the tourism Act in consultation with transport department.
10 Diversification of tourism productsEfforts would be made to harness the full potential of the tourism sector by improving the tourism infrastructure , promotion of niche tourism products, new marketing strategies and total quality service For this diversification of tourism products, development of various niche tourism products have to followed more strongly by identifying niche products in which JK state has enormous potential. Emphasis will be on the following products: a) Adventure, Wellness, Golf , Polo, Meetings Incentives Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) , Pilgrimage, Film Tourism Ecotourism, Wild life tourism, Caravan Tourism, heliport tourism, rural tourism, heritage tourism, herbal Tourism etc.
11 Development of Niche Tourism productsEmphasis will be on the development of some of the following niche tourism products given below: Theme Parks: World-class exhibition and convention complexes through appropriate PPP framework will be promoted. Private enterprise, in collaboration with international exhibition companies, will be encouraged to establish these exhibition complexes backed by Government support and incentives. Theme and Entertainment parks will be promoted in major tourist destinations. Heritage Tourism Better utilization of existing market and research data will be made to identify and develop the heritage zones. Efforts would also be made to include more heritage sites into UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list for bringing in significant international recognition and tourist traffic through preparation of integrated Site Management Plans, proposals to Government of India etc. Adventure Tourism: The Department will promote adventure tourism activities in the State, under three heads - Aero Adventure, Aqua Adventure and Land Adventure by collaborating with national and international adventure tourism and activity operators.
12 Development of Niche Tourism productsCaravan Tourism: Caravan Tourism are unique tourism product, which promotes family oriented tours where adequate accommodation is not available. Caravan Park is essential and sufficient for caravan tourism with basic and advanced amenities and facilities. The Government will actively promote destinations as Caravan Tourism. Tourist destinations in close proximity to major heritage centers in the state will be identified and promoted as clusters, where visitors can reach in shorter travel time and enjoy a 3-4 day stay with engaging activities. MICE Tourism Convention centres of international standards would be promoted in Srinagar, Jammu and Leh districts, especially through private sector participation. Eco Tourism Eco Tourism will be promoted as a core tourism activity in close collaboration with the Forest Department. An eco-tourism zones will be identified and a chain of nature camps will be encouraged and promoted as Jungle Trails in the zone. Heliport Tourism: Heliport tourism is new concept has can be introduced at remote and hilly areas which lacks accessibility. This will be funded by Ministry of Tourism GOI.
13 Marketing strategies Developing new markets – Middle East, Europe, central Asia. Participation and organizing of road shows in major source markets as well as in some of the upcoming markets. Promotional campaign will be launched in the key markets under the theme “Explore Paradise”. New tourism markets would be focused especially central Asia, Middle east and European countries. With a view to taking the “Explore Paradise” Campaigns forward, different Brainstorming Meetings with Media and Creative Agencies, Media Representatives and Stakeholders in the Tourism Industry should be involved to get their inputs and suggestions on making the “Explore Paradise” campaigns more impactful and effective.
14 Marketing Strategies Certain important Fairs and Festivals should be organized which have a high footfall of international and domestic tourists and which contribute significantly to tourist visits to the State will be identified as ‘ Festivals in heaven’. Services of professional agencies to be utilized for Media Planning, Production of Creatives and Publicity material. FAM (familiarization) trips of media persons, TV teams, film makers, trade representatives, provide brochures/media support, distribution of literature, posters, calendars, newsletter, electronic, print and digital publicity. CDs, outdoor campaigns and publicity in malls, airports, and other strategic places. National & international travel associations to be encouraged to have trips to Kashmir.
15 Marketing Strategies Improved Budgetary support of at least Rs.35 Crores should be ensured in the State budget of the Tourism Department for marketing and promotion with a 10% increase in the budget allocation every year during the span of this policy. Information Technology will be used for the purpose of tourism promotion. The Tourism Department maintains two websites viz. jktourism.org and Kashmir helpline.com for online publicity and registration respectively. Mobile applications and social networking site like Face book, Google Plus, etc. shall be used for quick and cost effective tourism marketing.
16 Safety and security Code of Conduct for Safely & security of the tourists will be adopted by tourism department and tourism stakeholders. Besides workshops will be conducted regularly for creating awareness among various stakeholders and general public.
17 Human Resources Development & Capacity EnhancementEarn While You Learn Programme: The basic purpose of the trainings should be to sensitize youths to tourism in the State and also give skills to handle tourism related functions. This will enable a practical exposure of managerial, supervisory and skill level exposure to the employees working in hotels , guest houses and travel agencies. Capacity enhancement at local level Education and enhancement of competencies for local communities in the surroundings of a tourism clusters will be encouraged, as a tool to catalyze economic opportunities from tourism activities. The Department of Tourism will support various institutions by signing MOU in J&K that offer programs in tourism and tourism related programs, including language centres. One Government aided and sponsored vocational training centre in each major city in J&K with special emphasis on training for Tourist Guides and support staff in housekeeping, front office, reception, etc. across all tourist destinations be introduced.
18 Proposed Institutional FrameworkAn institutional framework comprising a Committee at the Government level and under the guidance of Department of Tourism is proposed to be set up. The key objectives of the Council would be to provide necessary inputs on planning and implementation of tourism projects, while setting the overall direction and guidelines for development of tourism in the State. The Committee will also provide necessary regulatory measures in terms of registration of tourism facilities and activities to ensure quality facilities and services to the tourists visiting the State. The motive of the organization would be to expedite development of infrastructure facilities in the tourist areas. Certain function-specific entities are also proposed to be set up at a State/district/local level to focus on all aspects of tourism including planning/strategizing and implementation in a phased manner. The Government realizes the need for closer interaction with other stakeholders (including local small and medium entrepreneurs). To facilitate interactions, a well-defined legal framework is being proposed under the JK Tourism policy.
19 Inter- Departmental linkagedsKey Stake holders Tourism related stake holders(JKTDC, Development Authorities, gondola ) Handicraft, Horticulture, Floriculture Wildlife / Forest Infrastructure ( (Key departments PDD, PHE, SMC, PWD, (R&B)
20 Integrating efforts of Tourism department with other departments:convergance local bodies forests wildlife town planning health police
21 Information , communication and technology and other amenitiesSetting up of Monitoring Cell: Timely completion of the projects and monitoring of the tourist units especially hotels, houseboats, guest house, travel agencies is of paramount importance. The Monitoring cell will be managed by a Consultant with suitable support staff. Concerned Dy. Director will be nodal agency for the implementation for the programme. Amenities like information kiosks, trained guides/ audio guides, interpretation centres, tourist police, medical aid, access to physically handicapped at all major tourist destinations will be encouraged for development. A disaster Management Plan is proposed to be developed for major tourist destinations to support for any eventuality. Provision of audio guides, mobile technology, wi-fi at major tourist destinations will be encouraged. Technology intervention for social networking and data management will be supported. comprehensive Information about all the destinations will be uploaded on website. Installtation of webcom at major tourist destination needs to be undertaken.
22 Sustainable Tourism and Carrying Capacity:Adoption of solid waste management, hygiene and sanitation standards needs to be introduced at all the destination for smoothing increase in tourist volumes. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. To involve schools, NGOs, industry associations, etc. in carrying out major cleanliness drive at important tourist destinations, department of tourism should provide suitable incentives as well as awards for all the organisations and individuals involved in this important initiative. The annual number of tourists will be regulated according to the carrying capacity of tourist destinations and other eco sensitive zones after proper assessment of the carrying capacity of each region. Most of the pilgrim sites are located in sensitive eco-zones. Building and expansion activities in these should be controlled under the relevant acts, like the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Protection Act. A strategy should be evolved, in consultation with NGOs and experts working for protection and preservation of heritage sites, for preservation of monuments and other heritage sites
23 PUBLIC - PRIVATE-PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM DESTINATIONS:To attract investment in the tourism sector in order to upgrade infrastructure facilities as well as to reduce unemployment PPP mode will be prioritized. The Policy would also take steps for privatization of the existing assets of Tourism department in a time-bound manner. The PPP mode will include pilot projects like Events Sponsorship, Development of Hotels, Resorts and Theme Parks, Leasing-out of Existing tourism facilities, cable car, solid waste management etc. Emphasis would be on Large Revenue Generating Projects to attract private investors.
24 Research Efforts will be made to prepare Tourism Satellite Account Keeping in view the importance of the tourism in the economic development and job creation in the State. For this purpose, domestic tourism survey and international tourist survey should be also conducted after every five years. Surveys may be conducted in important source markets of foreign tourists coming to India to know their preference about the tourism products and destinations
25 Share of Total budget 5% on e-tourism 35 % on promotion 20% on M&W20% o incentives 30% on Adventure Budget 35 % on promotion 5% on e-tourism
26 Incentives and Taxes Incentives to tourism units:All the destinations would be classified into three categories based on the development of the destination. Projects / activities/ units classified as Category A (most backward) will be given highest incentives and priority. The recognized Tourist Transport Operators should be given exemption from Excise Duty and VAT on the purchase of new tourist vehicles. New tourism units should be eligible for incentives schemes. Taxes Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in india with no luxuary tax, No vat on food, 13.5 % on service tax. The policy proposes to ensure that for the development of Tourism in the state, different taxes like Luxury Tax, Entertainment Tax and Sales Tax should be encouraged. The Luxury Tax would be levied on the actual tariff as against printed tariff. The minimum threshold limit be increased to at least Rs. 2000/- Any increase in tax rates should be made applicable after a reasonable time- frame so that the bookings already made are not affected.
27 Targets and TimelinessShort Term (1-3 Years): Extensive marketing of tourism products through web, road shows, electronic and print media will be undertaken. Develop 3 year Event Calendar which would be synchronized with other themes and Business Events to attract tourists and extend duration of stay of visitors. Feasibility studies for establishing demand for various tourism facilities, such as rural tourism, MICE Tourism, Adventure tourism etc will be undertaken. An institutional framework comprising Board at the Government level under the guidance of Department of Tourism is proposed to be set up. Tie-ups with training institutes and capacity building programs for creating skilled human resource for the sector will be undertaken
28 Targets and TimelinessMedium Term (3-5 Years): Designing of tour packages based on specific themes, preferably those that involve the geographical boundary and heritage of more than one State, will be undertake. Development of new destinations on wellness, tribal tourism, Theme park tourism, Golf tourism unexplored areas, sports etc. will be undertaken. New concepts for heliport tourism and caravan Tourism will be promoted. Incentives and technical assistance will be provided to SMEs in the tourism sector, notably unemployed Professional youths and local artisans producing high quality local handicrafts.
29 Targets and TimelinessLong Term (5-10Years): Assess brand value by focusing on research and surveys. Initiate and Development of large revenue generating projects and pilot projects like caravan tourism, cable car projects, ropeways, Sericulture, Apiculture etc. Efforts will be made to prepare Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)
30 Thank you