The Jammu and Kashmir government has called upon the private sector to invest in the state's tourism sector to create employment opportunities for the youth.

"Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir has vast employment avenues. Participation of private investors in the sector is not only pivotal for facilitating tourists but would increase employment opportunities for local youth," state Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said while inaugurating a hotel in Kangan area of Ganderbal district, 40 kms from Srinagar.

Such initiatives by private entrepreneurs would also ease the tourist rush in government hotels, Jora said. "Government alone cannot provide jobs to huge number of unemployed persons. We have to find out means to generate wide-ranging economic activities in the state and tourism sector is a major way with a lot of promise for the young generation," he said. Jora said private participation is also essential for building infrastructure in the field of tourism.