A 12-member business delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will arrive by private jet at the Srinagar International Airport on Friday afternoon to explore investment opportunities in India’s newest Union Territory.

The visit comes almost a month after a similar visit by more than 30 CEOs from the Gulf to Srinagar, during which they had met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and discussed the business opportunities in the Valley.

The delegation will visit various tourist destinations, including Gulmarg and Pahalgam. The trip is aimed at showcasing investment opportunities to the visiting delegates, with a focus on tourism and hospitality sectors.

Upon arrival in Srinagar, the delegation will first head to Gulmarg for a Gandola ride. Later in Srinagar, the group will interact with the local business community after Iftar and take a trip to Pari Mahal followed by a boat ride at the famous Dal Lake.

The business delegation will meet PM Narendra Modi in Jammu on Sunday afternoon, in what would be the Prime Minister’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since provisions of Article 370 were scrapped and the state was bifurcated into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

PM Modi is also scheduled to address panchayats across the country from Jammu to mark the National Panchayati Raj Day. He will also launch development projects worth Rs 38,082 crore from Palli village in Jammu’s Samba district.

The UAE delegation includes the following businessmen, diplomats and officials:

1. Dr Ahmed AlBanna, UAE Ambassador to India
2. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman & CEO, DP World
3. Omar Al Muhairi, Vice President, Government Affairs, DP World
4. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Founder & Managing Director, Emaar Properties
5. Amit Jain, Group CEO, Emaar Properties
6. Essa Abdulla Bin Ahmad Al Ghurair, Chairman, Essa Al Ghurair Investment
7. Yusuff Ali MA, Chairman & Managing Director, Lulu Group
8. Abubaker Alkhouri, CEO, Abu Dhabi Capital Group
9. Hamad Al-Ali, CEO, Royal Strategic Partners
10. Amir Nagammy, Group Chairman, WizzFinancial
11. Sultan Al-Ahbabi, CEO, Prism Group
12. Kamal Vachani, Chairman, Al-Maya Group

In an interview with News18 last month, Manoj Sinha had said that the visit by CEOs from the Gulf would boost investment and expectations from the Union Territory. “I hope to see its results in the coming days. There was great enthusiasm among the industrialists,” he had said.