The chief minister, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said that in September 2023 Dawar village in Gurez was honoured with the ‘best tourism village’ award in the gold category by the Union Tourism Ministry and that has led to the area getting more footfalls.
The picturesque Gurez Valley near the Line of Control (LoC) in Bandipora district is emerging as a new tourist hotspot and the Jammu and Kashmir government will approach the Union tourism ministry to develop it to provide better facilities for tourists, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said recently.
Gurez Valley recently gained great recognition as a tourist destination, and the tourism department is assessing the need to establish a tourism development authority (TDA) for the valley.
“In 2022, Gurez Valley received the ‘best offbeat destination’ award, emphasising its appeal as a unique and emerging tourist spot,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said that in September 2023, Dawar village in Gurez was honoured with the ‘best tourism village’ award in the gold category by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
“This accolade highlights the village’s cultural richness and tourism potential,” he said. To promote Gurez as a new tourist destination, Abdullah said the tourism department has taken several initiatives, including commercial rafting which was started there for the first time in 2024.
Besides, during the current financial year, the tourism department projected the upgradation of Gurez as an offbeat destination under the capex budget (2024-25), the chief minister said.
