Marketing kashmir as an international tourist destination

At the national and international level, tourism has gradually achieved the status of a full-fledged and economically viable industry. Since, tourism is fast evolving as an important service sector, experts have over the years developed numerous management principles and marketing techniques for the growth and development of this promising sector. Consequently, many European and Asian countries because of their proactive approach and adoption of appropriate tourism policies have enormously gained from this fast growing sector. Given its awesome natural beauty and climatic panorama, Kashmir has historically been a popular destination both for the domestic as well as international tourists. The tourism sector in Jammu & Kashmir has a potential to considerably contribute to the otherwise frail economy of the state. The geo-political reasons apart, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has, however, not been able to garner as much of tourist attention as it warrants because of certain factors. Kashmir in particular has a lot of offerings to whip the eagerness of an enthusiastic tourist, but the varieties have either not been promoted or if promoted, lack of associated services have not led to desired synergies. The key factors responsible for the under exploitation of this potentially huge sector in the state include the peak-time infrastructural deficiencies, the unprofessional approach and unethical practices of host agencies, the overall lack of adequate attention of the state authorities etc. As a sequel to these, tourism in Jammu & Kashmir is still far from being the potent contributor to the state economy. This empirical research paper accordingly attempts to investigate the reasons of lack of optimal contribution of the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the study findings, the paper also puts forth suggestions and recommendations that can be adopted to optimally capitalize on this socio-economically promising sector.