The 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held in Kashmir from May 22 to May 24, with over 60 delegates from member nations attending the grand celebration of India’s cultural heritage and working towards promoting the tourism potential the country holds. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy stated that the event focused on addressing the five key motives - Green Tourism, Digitalisation, Skills, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Destination Management. This is the first large-scale event held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The three-day-long event held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) had the highest participation compared to the previous two events held in Gujarat and West Bengal. The event started off with a traditional Indian welcome of the guests at the Srinagar International Airport.
The delegates of the event hailing from different countries across the world set out on a cultural exploration of Srinagar by visiting the historic Polo View Market, the Mughal Gardens and going on the famed Shikara ride at the Dal Lake.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Amitabh Kant, Union Minister of Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, Minister of State PMO Jitendra Singh, and other dignitaries during the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), in Srinagar on May 24.
Delegates attend the third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), in Srinagar. The previous two Working Group Meetings were held in Gujarat and West Bengal.
G20 delegates on a Shikara, a wooden boat famous for being the cultural symbol of Kashmir, in Dal Lake, Srinagar on May 22.
G20 Delegates at the historic Polo View Market, a pedestrian- oriented street shopping space at Srinagar on May 24.
Delegates at a handicraft shop in the Polo View Market of Srinagar on May 24. Kashmir is known for its rich history of handicrafts often done on Walnut wood, Papier-mâché and cloth.
G20 delegates take a look at Kashmir’s famous Pashmina Shawls, made from the wool of Changthangi, an exotic species of goats found in the cold, arid region surrounding Ladakh in Kashmir, at a shop in Polo View market, in Srinagar on May 24.
G20 delegates participate in a Yoga session as a part of G20 Tourism Working Group meeting at Kashmir Valley on May 24.
G20 Delegates pose for a photo wearing Phiran, the traditional attire worn by Kashmiri women at Nishat Bagh (Garden of Joy), a terraced Mughal garden built on the eastern side of the Dal Lake, as a part of the third Tourism Working Group meeting on May 24.
