G20 delegates visited the newly renovated Polo View market in Srinagar and also tried their hands at some Kashmir handicrafts craft. Photos/Javed Khan
Srinagar, May 24: Calling Kashmir “a paradise on planet earth”, G20 delegates from several member countries Wednesday vowed to exploit every option to promote Kashmir as an international tourism destination.
While a delegate from Bahrain said that Kashmir would be the best location for his country’s filmmakers to shoot their movies, the South Korean envoy said strategic ties between his country and India will help promote tourism in Kashmir.
Representing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Aziz Kilatuala, a delegate from Bahrain referred to Kashmir as paradise on planet Earth, saying all emissaries have a task to promote Kashmir as one of the top tourist destinations of the world.
He said that he had never been to Kashmir before; it certainly is one of the few places on earth that gives a feeling of being in heaven.
The Bahraini delegate while heaping praises on Kashmir said he genuinely believes that the delegates, who were here, must play a pivotal role to promote Kashmir on an international level.
“I genuinely believe that I and other international delegates have a lot to do once we return. Kashmir itself has done a tremendous job of marketing in this direction. Now it’s our responsibility to take an extra step and make sure that we promote Kashmir as the top travel destination of the world,” Kilatuala said.
He said there is definitely potential for aspiring filmmakers of Saudi Arabia and GCC as a whole to explore Kashmir and the rest of India for locations where they can get the true essence.
“I will tell people who want to experience true natural beauty in its purest form that Kashmir is one of the few places on the planet where they can get that type of experience. I will tell them about the people as to how welcoming and hospitable they have been,” he added.
Talking to the media at SKICC here, South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae-bok said the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting here was a success, and that Kashmir is a wonderful place with kind people.
The Korean ambassador said Seoul strongly supported India’s presidency and expressed hope that New Delhi will make the G20 meetings successful.
“The G20 meeting (in Kashmir) was successful,” he said.
Jae-bok and other delegates to the working group meeting also visited the refurbished Poloview Market in the Residency Road area here.
He said Kashmir is a wonderful place and the people are very kind.
“It is a wonderful place, the people here are very kind. I hope more people come here to discover the beauty and diversity of India,” he added.
The Korean ambassador further said, “India is becoming a global power. Right now, India is the fifth biggest economy and it will become the third biggest economy very soon. We hope that India and Korea will continue to have good relations,” he said.
YN Bruggeman, a delegate from The Netherlands, said the G20 meet put Kashmir back on the tourism map.
“It puts Kashmir back on the map and it has shown us that Kashmir is a beautiful place. It will help tourism in Kashmir but I hope it will also help tourism in The Netherlands,” he said.
“It’s been three fantastic days, Kashmir is very beautiful. The meetings were very well organised and very insightful. So I am happy to bring this all back to the Netherlands,” he added. (With additional inputs from PTI)
Delegates attending the third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting here enjoyed a session of golf and visited the famous Mughal garden on the banks of the Dal Lake on Wednesday, officials said.
In the morning, the delegates took part in a yoga session held in the lawns of a luxury hotel where they are staying.
The officials said the delegates and India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant played golf at the Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC).
They then visited Nishat — the famed 12-terraced Mughal garden — on the banks of the Dal Lake, the officials said.
Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu hosted a lunch for the delegates of the meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC).
They also visited the newly renovated Polo View market in Srinagar and bought pashmina, craft items, and other stuff. The delegates hailed the people of Srinagar for their hospitality and stated that the city’s green view was breathtaking.
