MEA needs to use diplomatic might to remove negative travel advisories for J-K: Omar

New Delhi: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Ministry of External Affairs should influence western countries to withdraw advisories asking their citizens not to visit Jammu and Kashmir, saying it will be the biggest proof that the situation has changed for better in the region.

He said his government would be working with the Centre, particularly the MEA, to focus on those countries that have "very firm" travel advisories.

Attending a tourism event in the national capital, Abdullah, who also holds the Tourism portfolio in the Union territory government, said he is increasingly of the view that J-K needs to be repositioned, not as a destination for "volume tourism", but one for "value tourism".

"First, we will review the tourism policy in light of whatever has happened in Jammu and Kashmir in terms of the tourist arrivals. As I said earlier, the need to reposition Jammu and Kashmir and whether that means that we need an entirely new tourism policy or the tourism policy that we already have just needs to be tweaked a bit," the chief minister said.

He said the central government has been saying that J-K is now entirely normal. "I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We have to convince the international community that Jammu and Kashmir is normal and there is no point telling us as we see what Jammu and Kashmir is like."

Abdullah, however, said he doubts whether people sitting in the White House are going to be reading Indian newspapers.

"It is the MEA that needs to use its diplomatic might to actually now start getting these travel advisories written down. I think that will be the single biggest proof acknowledged internationally that Jammu and Kashmir has changed for the better," he said.

The CM said so far it has just been the government saying that the situation in J-K is normal but one needs the international community to acknowledge it.

"And that acknowledgement will come in the form of those travel advisories being written down and finally done away with," he said.

Abdullah said his government would be working with the Centre, particularly the MEA, to focus on those countries that have very firm travel advisories. “The US, the EU, the United Kingdom, Australia and get them to start sort of writing down and watering down their advisories.”

The CM said all foreign visitors coming to J-K having to show some sort of identity proof is nothing new.

“All foreign visitors to Jammu and Kashmir ever since I can remember have always had to register upon arrival. Most of them fly in. And there is a dedicated counter in Srinagar airport for foreign visitors registration. So, this is not something new,” he said.

"Traditionally, this has been the case. And it was there even before 1989 (when militancy erupted in the valley)," he added.

Abdullah said there were "thousands and thousands of foreign visitors" in Kashmir before 1989, and added that it was not a deterrent then and it will not be a deterrent now.

“What stops them (foreign tourists) is not the registration. It is the fact that you have a travel advisory that makes their insurance null and void. They will have insurance and they do not travel without health and other insurance. The moment they visit J-K, their insurance policy is rendered sort of invalid. That is what needs to be changed,” Abdullah said.

In response to a suggestion for outsourcing golf courses, the chief minister said the matter is under active consideration of the government.

“That said, we have to tread carefully here because I do not want to give the impression that we are looking to sell the crown jewels. Therefore, whatever we do with regard to a private investment into these, we have to do in a way in which we maintain ownership.

Perhaps a long-term lease solution might be the answer, he said, adding there are various models are under active consideration.

On film tourism, the chief minister said the private market that gets sort of developed through Bollywood is already well taken care of in J-K.

“North India, Maharashtra, Gujarat are areas where I do not think we require much more promotional activity. The areas where we find we are lacking is southern India. We neither get very many south Indian movies and they have much larger budgets these days than perhaps Bollywood movies do," he said.

Abdullah said south Indian tourists generally do not travel as far north as J-K and south Indian moview are not shot in the UT that frequently.

"Therefore, we will be looking to see what we can do to tap into both of these things,” he said.