Gulmarg, Sep 18: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday voiced sharp displeasure with tourism stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir, accusing them of failing to back his government’s promotional initiatives and remaining silent amid political attacks.
Speaking at a closed-door meeting with travel agents at the newly inaugurated Gulmarg Convention Centre, Abdullah expressed frustration that industry players did not defend him when the opposition criticized tourism policies.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said his administration had undertaken several initiatives—including a cycling festival in Pahalgam and a special promotional drive after the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 tourists—but he felt abandoned by stakeholders during political scrutiny.
Abdullah warned that lease agreements of hotels across key destinations—Jammu, Katra, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Srinagar, and Gulmarg—will soon be reviewed. He also criticized what he described as the “selective leakage” of official orders, noting that only certain directives signed by him reach the media and opposition.
Sources said Abdullah was particularly upset over criticism surrounding a proposed tourism promotion visit to Paris. He pointed out that neither he nor his advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, were attending the trip, and that the state was represented by officials and travel associations instead.
Highlighting that the region’s economy has long depended on tourism and allied sectors, Abdullah stressed that the industry could not regain its lost vibrancy unless public and private stakeholders worked in unison.
