The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government has decided to use cricket to aggresively promote the state as a safe international tourist destination.
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government has decided to use cricket to aggresively promote the state as a safe international tourist destination. The government has roped in club cricketers from South Africa to play two Twenty-20 (T20) games with locals.
Thirty-seven cricketers from Help Mekaar College, South Africa, will arrive here on November 29 to play the games on December 1. All the visiting cricketers are aged 14 to 18 and have been divided into two teams.
“Besides playing a game of cricket, the South Africans will go sight-seeing in different parts of the Valley. We hope they will share their good experiences here with their countrymen when they go home and help bring more South African tourists to Jammu and Kashmir next year,” said Sarmad Hafeez, joint director, J&K tourism.
The tourism department has already written to the J&K cricket association to announce its team for the games.
“We will have two T20 matches on the same day. One set of South Africans will play the Kashmir under-19 cricket team and another will play a school team,” said Hafeez.
The government is also working on a plan to mix sports with tourism and promote it as a package. Its emphasis is on cricket, golf and rugby.
“We have an international-standard golf course in Srinagar which has hosted several tourneys. Two more golf courses are coming up in Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Besides, we intend to promote rugby and invite South African players here,” said Hafeez.
Over 21,000 foreign tourists visited Kashmir in the first nine months of 2007. Around 3,78,223 domestic tourists
also visited the state in the same period. This excludes the around three lakh Amarnath pilgrims.
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