Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. SONAMARG: Department of Tourism Studies (DTS), Central University of Kashmir (CUKashmir), in collaboration with the Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA), celebrated World Tourism Day on the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation” at the Sonamarg club.
Speaking on the occasion, Dean School of Business Studies, Prof. Syed Zahoor Gilani, emphasised the need to protect the eco-fragile environment of Sonamarg by laying more thrust on sustainable tourism practices (STPs) to keep something for posterity. He insisted that the concerned Govt agencies and other tourism stakeholders must unite to make Sonamarg a plastic and pollution-free destination. He talked about the role of universities in implementing NEP-2020 in order to meet the skill gap in the tourism and hospitality industry through intensive vocationalisation of the academic programmes offered by the university to meet the market demand.
In her address, Chief Executive Officer-SDA, Ms Mantasha Binti Rashid, highlighted the role and initiatives taken by the Authority in the preservation of Sonamarg. “SDA is making every effort to maintain the carrying capacity and supply-demand of the destination,” she said. She stressed the revival of indigenous sustainable practices like the use of home-made manure for kitchen gardens, the use of pool transport and laid thrust on the process of glocalisation. She impressed upon the different tourism stakeholders to make Sonamarg the topmost tourism destination of the country.
Coordinator, DTS, Dr. Ashaq Hussain Najar, highlighted the role of academia in sensitising the tourism stakeholders about the eco-friendly practices that need to be put in place in hotels of Sonamarg and briefed about the need for ‘green investments’ in the tourism and hospitality industry by emphasising the important case studies of Ladakh and Kerala.
During the seminar, there was a threadbare panel discussion on the theme ‘Tourism and Sustainable Transformation’ where the faculty members and people from the tourism and hospitality industry actively participated. Dr. Ramjit and Dr. Faizan Ashraf Mir (Sr. Asst Profs) Mr. Shahid, GM-Four Points by Sheraton, and many others shared their inputs and views. During the discussion, panellists answered several questions that were posed by the scholars, students of MBA-TTM and B.Voc THM and other tourism stakeholders.
Dr. Faizan Ashraf Mir moderated the panel discussion. Sr. Asst Prof. Dr. Shahnaz Akhter moderated the event, while Asst Prof. Dr. Adil Amin Nazki proposed the vote of thanks.
