The fresh snowfall has brought much-needed relief to Kashmir Valley, marking a welcome end to a prolonged dry spell that adversely affected the tourism industry and boded ill for affected farmers, fruit and vegetable growers during the year ahead. The snow turnaround has changed all this and brought glad tidings for both tourism and agriculture – albeit, not to the desired extent.
The tourism sector, a vital component of Kashmir’s economy, has been languishing due to lack of snow. But snowfall and precipitation in the plains is expected to breathe new life back into this industry, with key resorts like Gulmarg and Pahalgam likely to experience a tourist rush again. One benefit of snowfall is that it brings foreign tourists to the Valley. Lasr year, 43,000 international visitors arrived in the Valley compared to 37,000 in 2023. According to the official data, the total tourist footfall in 2024 stood at 2.95 million, a conspicuous rise from the 2.71 million visitors in 2023 and 2.67 million in 2022.
Despite the challenges posed by the soaring airfares, the snowfall has kindled hopes for a revival in business. Hoteliers across the Valley, buoyed by the prospect of increased tourist footfall, are optimistic about better occupancy rates in the days ahead.
To think that a few days ago, the situation in the Valley looked quite bleak: Kashmir experienced a largely snowless December, January, and February including the 40-day period of chilla kalan. The period witnessed bright blue skies and sun-soaked days. While the warmth may have been welcome, the absence of the desired snowfall has threatened to cast a long shadow over the upcoming summer. It has raised alarm for the local economy, as depleted glaciers can lead to diminished river flows, impacting, in turn, farming activities and power generation.
Heavy snow in winter helps in the glacier formation which in turn charges up the Valley’s water bodies through summer. So a dry winter signals trouble. More so, at a time when the Valley’s major glaciers have shown marked signs of depletion in recent decades. Biggest of them is the Kolahai glacier, whose area, according to a study, has retreated to 11.24 square kilometers from 13.87 sq kms since 1976.
As they say, all’s well that ends well. Snowfall in late February will hopefully go some way to plug the shortfall in December and January. We can optimistically look forward to a prospect of a bountiful tourism season and a bumper agricultural output during spring and summer.
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