Jammu and Kashmir will on Monday begin hosting its first G20 meeting in the valley which will run for three days from May 22 to May 24. This will be the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting that will take place under India’s presidency this year. Security measures have been heightened in Srinagar due to the meet as many delegates are set to take part in the discussions here.
The route starting from Srinagar airport to Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), which is the venue of the meeting, has been given a massive makeover with the G20 logo painted on the walls. In addition to this, there were also hoardings installed to welcome the delegates, said the officials.
#WATCH | J&K | Security measures have been heightened in Srinagar as the city is all set to host the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting.
The meeting is being held here on May 22-24. pic.twitter.com/BXpoXKrKr4
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2023
Under its presidency, India has so far held 118 meetings in various parts of the country so far, the G20 chief coordinator, Harshvardhan Shringla, told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Important Points On J&K’s First G20 Meet
G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla said that the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar has the highest delegate participation and will be the most significant event held in Jammu and Kashmir, reported PTI.
Srinagar will host the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting. The first meeting was held in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in February and the second one in West Bengal’s Siliguri in April.
The meet will witness the participation of G20 member countries, invited countries, international organisations and industry stakeholders.
Giving details of the event, Tourism Secretary said, “There are two key deliverables of the Tourism Working Group, which include the GOA Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.”
The third Tourism Working Group meeting will deliberate on the five key priority areas — green tourism, digitalization, skills, MSMEs and destination management. These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieving the targets for 2030 SDGs, Tourism Secretary said, as per PTI.
He added that a side event on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’ will be organised on May 22-23, focusing on strategies to promote film tourism in the Union Territory.
He further said a draft ‘National Strategy on Film Tourism’ will be unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films in promoting tourist destinations, reported PTI.
Meanwhile, G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla said, “The very idea is to use this meeting to bring attention to Jammu and Kashmir and how it can help revive handicrafts, etc. It is an opportunity to present our rich culture and heritage. No other working group does it better than the tourism group”, adding that “This will be the most significant event in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Shringla said that Srinagar is a completely transformed city and is vastly more beautiful. He added that it is truly a smart city, which one would want to showcase to the world.
On the negative advisories issued by certain western countries about travel to Kashmir, Shringla said that these mean nothing when foreign tourists are visiting the Valley despite such advice, reported PTI.
According to PTI, Shringla said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to ensure taking the message of India’s G20 presidency to the grassroots level through the ‘Jan Bhagidari’ process is being carried forward. He further said that a lot of efforts have been made to sensitise the people of the country about the G20.