Union Minister of Tourism Announced Kashmir Festival 2013 for Tourism Promotion in Kashmir

The Union Minister of Tourism K. Chiranjeevi on 4 May 2013 announced major initiative for the promotion of tourism in Kashmir Valley, in the form of Kashmir Festival 2013 which will be held for a fortnight from 13 May 2013 to 29 May 2013. The festival will be held at different places in Jammu & Kashmir.

Major features of the Kashmir Festival 2013

• The Union Minister of Tourism announced that financial support will be provided for the Kashmir Festival 2013.
• The festival will take place at various places such as Sonmarg, Lolab Valley, Gulmarg, Doodhpathri, Manasbal, Yousmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar.
• The festival will involve various activities such as Horse Races, Swimming Competition, Painting, Para Gliding, River Rafting, Canoeing, Cycle Races and Shikara Races.
• The Kashmir Festival 2013 will put forward culture of Jammu & Kashmir through performances by the cultural troupes of the State.

In order to make the festival a huge success, the Ministry of Tourism also planned to coordinate with the other ministries such as Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation for outlining the concessional fares / tour package, Ministry of Culture for organizing cultural events through different cultural troupes and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for undertaking sports activities such as Boat Race and other adventure sports like paragliding, horse race etc.

The local service providers like guest house owners such as Boats of Kashmir Division as well as hoteliers have started offering 20-30 percent discounts for the tourists as well as tour packages for the festival.