Explore all possibilities

The overwhelming response by the people to the first-ever Tawi Boating Festival at the Artificial Lake developed under the Jammu Smart City project has made it clear that this initiative on completion would promote tourism in a big way as people in the region were looking for something like this to spend quality time with their family, friends and other like-minded companions. There is dire need that the people behind this project should explore and exploit all possibilities which could add adventure and beauty to this upcoming lake in the centre of Jammu City. The first thing which could be tested and tried in this lake is addition of small cruise boats like we have in River Mandovi in Goa’s Panjim or musical boats in Hussain Sagar Lake near Lumbini Park Hyderabad in Telangana, which are popular among the tourists as almost all the visitors to these cities enjoy these rides with great enthusiasm. This could be replicated in Jammu’s Artificial Lake also to add more excitement and adventure among the tourists visiting the temple city. It is expected that the riverfront will soon become a new hub for leisure and community engagement therefore providing all sorts of facilities to the tourists at this destination should be the prime goal of the people responsible for its upkeep and further expansion. Of course, safety of all the stakeholders should be the prime concern of the authorities as this prestigious project deserves flawless management and highest priority to woo more tourists in the winter capital of the Union Territory of J&K. The concerned authorities can also develop this new lake for pisciculture by taking appropriate steps as this could also attract nature lovers to have a glance of different species of fish. Colourful musical water fountains can also be added to further lure the tourists especially children besides holding regular light and sound shows on the banks. The endeavour of the authorities should be to continuously add more features at this marvelous lake which hopefully has the potential to change the tourism landscape of Jammu region. The addition of ultramodern houseboats can also add more charm into this water body which Jammu has got after a long wait and painful struggle. These should be made in line with the ones that house tourists in the beautiful lakes in Kashmir including Dal Lake. With the positive response of Jammuites towards the Tawi Lake, one could anticipate that Jammu will see an unexpected surge tourist footfall after regular activities will start and the same would be publicized nationally and at global level.