Adil Lateef
—Excelsior/Shakeel
Srinagar, Dec 25: Havi-ng suffered massive losses in the second half of the current year due to unrest, the tourism arrival in Kashmir is now slowly picking up as violence has reduced and situation has started to return to normalcy.
Director Tourism Kashmir, Mehmood Ahmad Shah, said despite being lean time the arrivals of the tourists have started to pick up slowly in the Valley after witnessing sharp decline. “I will not disclose figures at this moment but the tourists are arriving and we along with all the stakeholders are organizing various programmes for promotion of tourism in Kashmir in coming days,” he told Excelsior.
According to preliminary estimates, the tourism sector suffered a loss of around Rs 3000 crore due to the unrest, affecting livelihood of lakhs of people associated directly with this sector in the Valley. Not only this, the stakeholders apprehend dark future for the tourism in Kashmir in near future due to prevailing political uncertainty.
The tourism stakeholders, however, said that the normalcy-like situation that is prevailing in Valley since last two weeks has given them some hope and they are now seeing tourists arriving back in Valley but in very less number. They further said that recent statement by Valley separatist leaders asking tourists and piligrims to return Valley has also left a positive mark on the tourism sector.
“Though the numbers are very low but it is a positive sign for future and we pray that it show snows here at this time which would definitely attract large number of tourists,” said leading hotelier Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya. He said the hotels are open for tourists in Kashmir and besides normal situation the snow in winters also play good role in wooing tourists.
In summer capital here, the groups of tourists were seen thronging Mughal gardens situated along the banks of world famous Dal lake. The tourism footfall in famed Gulmarg destination in North Kashmir has also increased since last one week, said Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) Shafqat Iqbal.
“Over the last one week, Gulmarg sees arrival of 150 tourists’ everyday and that also includes tourists from some foreign countries. The Gulmarg Gandola has also resumed its operations and the tourists are also enjoying Gandola ride,” the CEO told Excelsior, adding: “the hotels here also are seeing now occupancy from tourists and we hope that things improve.”
The unrest that was triggered on July 8 after security forces gunned down militant commander Burhan Wani during an encounter cost Kashmir four to five lakh tourists in five months, said the officials of Tourism Department. Now, in order to woo back tourists, the department is mulling to hold winter events including ice skating championship, ice climbing, snow festival and also series of road shows outside Jammu and Kashmir, the Director Tourism informed.
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