Bangkok--Jan 31--eTurbo news
Srinagar, Kashmir (eTurboNews) -- In an effort to lure more tourists to the scenic Himalayan region, India has decided to open the main airport in disputed Kashmir to international flights.
India said it has decided to open the airport in the main Kashmiri city of Srinagar, though details, including which airlines are to be allowed to use the airport, are still being ironed-out.
"There is a demand for direct international flights, charters," said a civil aviation official after the federal cabinet cleared a proposal granting international status to the airport in Srinagar. Work on upgrading the heavily-guarded Srinagar airport, which has been attacked by guerrillas in the past, has begun, the official said.
Ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the decision saying this would help in drawing more tourists to the state, thus giving a boost to the economy of Jammu and Kashmir.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said consulates of different countries need to be opened in the state itself so that the lack of the visa facilities does not come in way of tourists.
Amid the conflict between soldiers and Muslim militants fighting Indian rule in the territory, tourists, from within India and some from abroad, continue to flock to Kashmir's majestic sceneries, which include snow-capped mountains and pine forests.
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