China stays away as G20 tourism meet gets under way in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: The third G20 tourism working group meeting kicked off in Srinagar on Monday and the ubiquitous, Oscar-winning "Naatu Naatu" made an appearance with the movie's star Ram Charan and South Korean ambassador Chang Jae-bok shaking a leg to the irresistible number. The South Korean embassy in Delhi had earlier this year posted a video of Chang and embassy staff jiving to the song.
The government claimed an "overwhelming response" - the highest among all G20 gatherings so far - to the meeting from member countries and special invitees. Though China kept away after opposing hosting of any G20 meetings on "disputed territory" and said "unilateral actions" such as hosting such meetings could further complicate the situation, official delegations from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were also absent. The government, however, clarified that all countries with the exception of China were represented by their private travel agents and tour operators.
'An achievement of sorts': Govt on G20 meet in J&K
"The tourism working group meeting in Kashmir has had an overwhelming response. Travel and tourism is totally a private sector activity. Many countries wanted to join virtually, but we wanted only physical participation. The other countries are being represented by their tour operators and travel agents," G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said as the tourism working group meeting kicked off in J&K's capital.
Union minister Jitendra Singh, also a Lok Sabha MP from the Union territory, described India's decision to host the G20 meeting in J&K an "achievement of sorts".
"The delegates will be able to falsify the perceptions of self-righteous commentators. It is an opportunity to see that J&K and its common people have moved on. They have seen two generations of Kashmiris being sacrificed to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and they don't want to succumb to that. The youth is aspirational, highly forward-looking and well-informed and can see new avenues of growth unfold under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kashmiri youth want to be part of India's growth story. Hartal (strike) calls from Islamabad are no longer adhered to. The G20 event in Srinagar being hosted in exactly the same format and protocols as all other cities is proof that there is no compromise in any way," Singh said.
Srinagar is hosting the three-day event under an intensive, three-level security cover comprising aerial surveillance drones, Marine Commandos and Kashmir police's special operation group, but has rolled out the red carpet for visiting G20 delegates. The first big ticket international event hosted in J&K since abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Srinagar meeting will showcase over three days its smart city and urban planning programmes, local handicrafts, culture and folk art forms and the vast possibilities in film tourism.
"Tangible benefits have been made by bringing the tourism meeting to J&K. This is important in light of the aim of bringing 20 million tourists to the region," said Harsh Shringla, chief coordinator for India's G20 presidency.
Highlighting the significance of cinema and film tourism in this respect, culture, tourism and DoNER minister G Kishan Reddy said the G20 meeting offers Kashmir a unique opportunity to leverage its diverse tourism products to attract filmmakers from India and abroad.
"Our youth have not seen Kashmir as it was known to people in the 1980s. This has changed in the last few years. Over 400 films, from ads to feature films, have been shot here in the past two years. The largest number of tourists visited Kashmir last year. This is going to be the golden era for filming in Kashmir," I&B secretary Apurva Chandra said.
Watch Srinagar wears a festive look for G-20 meeting, global leaders arrive