The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to outsource the assets of the Tourism Department, including hotels, bars, restaurants, and other properties, to boost tourism and generate revenue.
A meeting of the Tourism Department’s senior officials was recently held under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Dr Riaz, General Manager (GM), JKTDC, told Rising Kashmir. “We presented the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of all the upcoming projects during the meeting, and it was decided that the assets of the Tourism Department would be outsourced under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.”
An official said this move aims to enhance revenue generation while promoting tourism by involving the private sector in the industry.
The Tourism Department owns assets across various locations in J&K, including Katra, Ban Ganga, Dak Bungalow in Jammu, Akhnoor, Chichi Mata, Mansar, Patnitop, Main Bazar in Katra, Kudh, Banihal, Udhampur, Kathua, Sannasar, Bani, and other sites. Most of these assets comprise bars, hotels, and restaurants.
“The tenders for outsourcing these assets will be floated soon,” the GM added.
Meanwhile, the J&K government has also reconstituted the committee responsible for finalising the mechanism to outsource these assets in a phased manner.
