G20 tourism meet in Jammu & Kashmir from today: The TL;DR

The big point: The G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable development of the region, as per a press release by the Ministry of Tourism. India currently holds the presidency of the G20.

The details: The third Tourism Working Group meeting will deliberate on the five key priority areas – green tourism, digitalisation, skills, MSMEs, and destination management. Delegates will also have the opportunity to experience the local attractions in Srinagar.

Zoom in: Official sources said that for the first time, the National Security Guard (NSG) and Marine Commandos have been deployed to secure the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the venue for the meeting, and its surrounding areas. Surveillance has been upped in the Valley in order to check any militant disruption.

The 3rd meeting of the Tourism working group in #Srinagar will be an opportunity for #G20 delegates to see ‘paradise on earth’

Here’s how Srinagar & it’s people are getting ready to welcome the delegates.@manojsinha_ @arvsingh01 @tourismgoi @g20org#G20India pic.twitter.com/gTvKSaIVCS

— Harsh V Shringla (@harshvshringla) May 21, 2023

The big picture: This is the first such international event in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370.  Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that till a few years ago, it was a taboo to visit Jammu and Kashmir. “But what we see now is that of all the G20 meetings held all over the country, the maximum excitement is about the G20 meeting at Srinagar,” Singh said.

Zoom out: Three G20 nations – China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia – have not registered for the meeting. “China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory… We will not attend such meetings,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying.

Besides India, the G20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, and the European Union.