Dir Tourism reviews vaccination pace with CEOs

Srinagar: Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Dr. G N Itoo today convened a marathon meeting with the Chief Executive Officers of all the Tourism Development Authorities and Resort Officers here and reviewed the pace of vaccination among the tourism stakeholders and COVID mitigation efforts at various tourist destinations.

During the meeting, the Director Tourism impressed upon all the CEOs to devise a schedule and prepare a line listing of all the individuals and frontline workers at their destinations to be vaccinated. He said the Department is also planning to hold capacity building workshops for the members of local hospitality sector in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic to orient them with the emerging challenges. For this, he sought feedback and inputs from them about the workshop.

Dr. Itoo gave strict instructions for observance of COVID protocols, as devised by Government from time to time, at all the tourist destinations.

The Director Tourism advised the CEOs to utilize the present phase of low arrivals for mop up exercise of facilities and services at their respective destinations. He asked them to undertake an exercise of mapping the tourism assets and manpower at every tourist destination. The CEOs and Resort officers, during the meeting, expressed their concern regarding the watch and ward of these assets at these tourist destinations.

The meeting also decided to adopt a uniform mechanism to develop signages at the tourist destinations. It was also decided to constitute teams to check the maintenance of outsourced assets and also regulate the number and rates of ponywallas at these destinations.

Joint Director, Tourism, Tabassum Shafat Kamili; CEOs of various Tourist Development Authorities, Deputy Directors, Assistant Director, Tourism, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, Resort officers and other officers were present in the meeting.