Sources informed Kashmir Post that despite the department failing to bring any tourists to the state, it is busy spending lavishly on visits of its officials to outside places.
With no visible outcome so far, Tourism Department has spent about Rs 4 crore sponsoring tours of its officials to different cities of the country, in the name of holding promotional events.
In a revelation, the tourism department has spent Rs 3.87 crore on promotional events -including expenses borne on facilitating visits of its officials to outside places, while the tourist influx to Kashmir has reduced drastically during last two years, leaving question mark on the role of tourist department officials state-sponsored visits which have failed to yield results.
Sources informed Kashmir Post that despite the department failing to bring any tourists to the state, it is busy spending lavishly on visits of its officials to outside places.
Unrest in Kashmir caused dip in tourist arrivals by over 55 percent while the official spending has gone up many times during the current year, sources informed.
“Mostly the officials preferred and recommended by higher ups in the department are allowed to go ahead for the visit, which in itself is like a paid vacation and gift for their loyalty as they know they have nothing to do there and state government is paying for their visits,” said the sources.
“The bills on account of promotional events during last two years are Rs 3.87 crore of which major portion is the travelling and lodging expenses of officials,” said the sources, adding that the events which were held by the department have failed to yield any results, as there are almost no or little tourist arrivals to Kashmir.
Citing examples, sources informed that even during peak of unrest last year, the department organized road shows across India which everybody knew was complete waste of public money.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in its reply to a cut motion, has stated that the tourism department’s expenditure on promotional events during last two years was Rs 3.87 crore.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who also holds charge of tourism ministry, in reply to a cut motion had stated that the Tourism Department participated in national and international travel events, like Travel Trade Fairs (TTF), India International Travel Mart (IITM), besides holding various promotional activities during the past two years.
“Some officials have made Tourist Department their fiefdom and they with pampering done by some politicians are allowed to do anything they want to,” said the sources, adding, officials of the department have kept some travel agents in loop, who in turn have formed their associations for praising and hailing the every damn thing tourism department does.
“Genuine stakeholders who are in the travel businesses for decades are made to be mere spectators, while the blue-eyed agents are allowed to call shots and issue press statements every now and then” they said.
Meanwhile the travel agents who spoke to Kashmir Post also expressed resentment with functioning of the department and its failure to attract tourists.
“Two travel agents are virtually calling the shots in the department and act as de-facto directors. There is tacit understanding between higher officials of the department,” said a travel operator, who does not wanted to be named.
