The Union Tourism Ministry and Union territory Ladakh has organized a three-day mega-tourism event “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals” from Friday so as to attract Ladakh in domestic as well as in international markets.

The move is an attempt to attract tourism and investment in the hospitality sector in Ladakh–the only Cold desert in India. The event is organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh and Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) from August 26 to August 28.

“The objective of the event is to promote tourism to Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism,” said a senior officer of the Tourism Ministry.

The event was also aimed to provide indigenous product knowledge to the industry stakeholders and also a platform to local stakeholders for interaction with the Tour Operators / buyers from the rest of the country.

Domestic tourism plays an important role in the overall development of the tourism sector in India. The Ministry of Tourism undertakes various promotional activities for the promotion of Domestic Tourism and these activities are primarily aimed at increasing awareness about tourism destinations and products, promoting domestic tourism with focus on priority areas like the North East, Union Territory of Ladakh and Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

“Even though the COVID 19 pandemic has impacted the world in an unprecedented manner and brought it to a standstill, the signs of recovery have been witnessed and the movement of people across the country has started and every means of travel including airlines, trains and highways has reported regular increase in visitors’ traffic in the domestic tourism segment,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry has further aggressively started tourism promotions with participation of the industry stakeholders and promoting Ladakh in domestic as well as in international markets through various campaigns and initiatives such as Dekho Apna Desh wherein a dedicated webinar on Ladakh was conducted. Promotion of Ladakh is also undertaken through Incredible India Website, Social Media Platforms of the Ministry, printing of flyers, the officer said.

The event is expected to be attended by more than 150 participants which includes Opinion Makers, Tour Operators, Hoteliers, Diplomats, Homestay Owners, Senior Officials from Government of India, UT Administration of Ladakh and Media. The three days’ event will include activities like exhibition, panel discussions, B2B meetings, technical tours, Cultural evening to showcase tourism facilities and tourism products of Ladakh, the Ministry said.