Excelling Tourism in Kashmir

All over India, several tourist destinations are experiencing a fall in visitors. The chief reason to this decline is the floods and landslides caused by the monsoon rains in June. One of the places which have not been less affected by the depression is Kashmir.
Kashmir has been witnessing greater amount of rush than the previous years in the current summer season, which is around 10 percent.

Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the state’s tourism minister, stated in Khabar South Asia, “This time we are witnessing a good number of visitors. Compared to previous year, more tourists have already visited Kashmir in the past two months. At Srinagar’s Sheik-ul-Alam International Airport, tourist arrivals are up significantly”.

He also noted, “We are doing our best to make their stay relaxing and secure. Even during curfews this year, authorities helped tourists by providing all kinds of help”.

For hoteliers and tour administrators in Kashmir are satisfied to some extend with the current summer season.

Niyaz Ahmad, a hotel owner near the famous Dal Lake, told Khabar, “Regardless of some odd incidents in the valley and the recent Uttarakhand (floods) tragedy, my hotel is completely booked. Last year this month, there were not many visitors here”.Ishtiyaq Ahmad, who owns a travel agency in Srinagar, said, “At present, we are witnessing a rush of visitors and we are doing good business”.

Satisfied Visitors

The local and the foreign tourists are enjoying the unspoiled beauty of Kashmir.Marie James, 48, a Dutch nationalist, while walking on the shores of Dal Lake with her son, said, “This is my first trip to Kashmir and we are thoroughly enjoying it. The locals are also nice and co-operative”. She happily exclaimed, “I have been in many tourist destinations, but this is indeed a heaven on earth”.

Another satisfied visitor was Kapil Kumar, 36, from Gujarat, who arrived in Srinagar last week with his wife for their honeymoon, told Khabar that the circumstances in the Valley has changed for the betterment of the place.

He also added, “I come every year and I have found it a much safer place. Last week, I got married and I chose Kashmir for my Honeymoon, rather than any foreign destination”.

Tourist Festival

Starting the season, state organizations in May staged a chief tourism festival, which was a part of their efforts to recover losses that Kashmir has suffered in about last 20 years due to violence in the region.

The first ever Kashmir Tourist Festival in Srinagar attracted both domestic and foreign tourists who were eager to experience its extraordinary landscape, traditions and cuisines.

Mohammad Hussain Mir, a senior official in the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department said, “We organised musical programmes, set up various stalls of Kashmir products that depicted our rich culture, also held activities like trekking expedition, photography competition and sporting events”.

Mir stated, “This festival has not only helped to attract more tourists to Kashmir but has also built confidence among outsiders that Kashmir is safe like other parts of India”. He also added, “The fading violence gave us confidence to organise such a big event across the state”.

The two week spectacle which was held from May 14^th to 29^th has proved to be a chief success towards promoting the economy and creating new opportunities for the local people.

Shahid Khan, who is from south Kashmir’s Pahalagam town, transported tourists around the region on horses. He said, “As there was a huge rush of tourists during the festival, I hired several people for ferrying the tourists to the local sightseeing places”. He also added, “The festival gave an opportunity to earn good money for many of the poor inhabitants, who work as labourers and normally earn less”.