Category: Business

Business

AirAsia to operate on Srinagar route from Feb 19

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Malaysian airline mulls international flight to Bangkok from Srinagar in summer ‘It will help increase both domestic and foreign tourist flow to Kashmir’ ‘It will also help regulate air fare during peak season’ In a much needed boost to the tourism sector in Kashmir, the first ever foreign airline, AirAsia, will be operating on Srinagar route from February 19 this year. The low cost airline is also mulling to introduce international flights from Srinagar to Bangkok later. The Malaysian based carrier will operate morning and late evening flights from Srinagar…

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MNCs to Wholesalers: Meet sales targets or lose distribution rights

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In a bizarre move, some national and multinational companies are threatening their Kashmir based wholesalers of snatching them of distribution rights of their products for failing to meet their yearly sales targets. Kashmir, which is primarily a consumer economy, has witnessed this year little economic activity and the tourism was completely off due to five-month long unrest. Wholesalers here say these MNC providing various product lines such as FMCGs, pharmaceutical, garments and other products despite knowing the situation which was not suitable for meeting the targets are pressurizing to force…

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Winter festival in Gulmarg, Snow carnival in Pahalgam on cards

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JK gears up to woo back tourists As tourism sector has witnessed slump during past five months of unrest in Kashmir, the tourism department in a bid to bring the hospitality sector back on track has announced to organize winter festival in Gulmarg and snow carnival in Pahalgam to woo backpackers and utilize the snow season by showcasing the winter activities here. This was announced by the Secretary Tourism, Farooq Shah to media persons after chairing a meeting of tourism department, which was attended by various officials of the department…

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Kashmir Totally Safe For Tourists: Tour Operators

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Terming Kashmir as a safe place for tourists, a delegation of tour operators from different parts of the country, who were on a familiarisation tour of the Valley, today called upon the people to visit the “heaven on earth”, saying the atmosphere here was “totally positive.” “We have seen a total positive atmosphere here in the Valley right from the airport. Till now in these 20 years (since the militancy broke out in Kashmir), no untoward incident has happened with any tourist in Kashmir. They remained safe here, feel safe…

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Govt trying to create world-class tourist infra: Mehbooba Mufti

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Describing tourism as the best mean to promote people-to-people engagement, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said her government was making efforts to create a world-class tourist infrastructure. “Tourism promotes people-to-people contact and tourists become goodwill ambassadors of a place. Like the maxim ? ‘seeing is believing’, a tourist can testify the veracity of the claim about a place only after visiting it,” she said. She dismissed the notion that the state was unsafe for tourists in the aftermath of months-long unrest in the Valley. “Jammu and…

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Tourism best way to promote dialogue: Mehbooba

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Asserting that tourism is the best way to promote dialogue, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the state government is making efforts to create world-class tourist infrastructure in J&K. Interacting with a delegation of tour operators from different cities of the country, the Chief Minister said tourism promoted people-to-people contact and tourists become goodwill ambassadors of a place. She said like the maxim “seeing is believing,” a tourist can testify the veracity of a claim about a place only after visiting it. She asked the tour operators to promote visiting…

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Post good start, tourism sector hits new low in Valley

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As the year 2016 nears its end, the tourism industry in the Valley is hoping to bounce back in the winter months after a setback in summer. The stakeholders say the year proved to be a mixed bag for the sector with footfalls witnessing a dip after a good start in early summer. “This year was a mixed bag for the tourism sector. After looking to touch an all-time high in July, figures then touched an all-time low in next months,” said Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Mahmood Ahmad Shah. The sector…

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Trade bodies term 2016 worst year for business

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It was a double whammy for the traders and industrialists in Jammu and Kashmir this year. They were first hit badly by the unrest and then by the demonetisation. This year has been rated as one of the worst years for the traders and industrialists of the state as the business has come down by more than 50 per cent. The decline in trade is likely to create long-term effects on the economy of the militancy-infested state, say experts. “Though the global business was down throughout the year, Jammu and…

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Kashmir’s Mushkbudgi, Kamad rice varieties get recognition

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The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday hailed farming community of Danwantpora and Tangpawa Sagam in Anantnag district for their contribution to promote and produce Mushkbudgi and Kamad scented varieties of rice. The agriculture minister at a ceremony presented Plant Genome Saviour Community Award, citation and momentoes with Rs 10 lakh assistance by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India for conservation of Mushkbudgi and Kamad scented varieties of rice grown in Danwantpora…

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40 Days since demonetization, no queues outside banks, ATMs

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Over a month after demonetisation was announced, Jammu and Kashmir has come out of long queues outside banks and ATMs. States such as Delhi, UP, Punjab and many others are still facing cash crunch even after the 40 days of demonetisation. Queues have vanished outside banks and ATMs. People faced cash crunch initially, but the situation has started coming to normalcy. Sources in banks claim that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has special concern for the state, as security agencies didn’t want to take any risk in Kashmir due…

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