Snowfall in upper reaches and the scenic spots has come as a boon for tourism in Kashmir. Gulmarg, a famous hilly resort, was blanketed by snow on Sunday. The resort is drawing both locals and tourists, who are arriving in the Valley from the different parts of the country to witness snow, a novelty for a majority of people in the rest of the country. Tourism scene is already booming in the Valley. Just this year until September, a whopping 1.68 crore tourists visited. Last year, it was 1.88 crore. The Amarnath pilgrimage saw more people too. Last year, 3 lakh people visited the cave shrine. This year, it was 4.5 lakh.
The tourism officials say it’s, in part, to the active advertising they’ve been doing. True, the tourism department has been promoting events across the country to attract tourists to the Valley. But the influx of tourists is largely due to the peace prevailing in the union territory over the last few years. Yes, militancy remains very much present and, in fact, this year the violence has witnessed some bump in summer but this hasn’t detracted from the larger drift of normalcy.
COVID-19 actually helped Kashmir’s tourism. When international travel was tough, tourists flocked here. Since it wasn’t heavily hit by the virus, it became a great place to visit. For Kashmir, more tourists mean more jobs.Tourism forms 6.8 percent of Kashmir’s GDP and employs over two million people. The region, as a result, has witnessed a boon in hospitality, with hotels reporting handsome occupancy rates, and local businesses, including homestay facilities in rural areas, gaining momentum. This has a spillover effect on the larger economy.
The effort by the administration to turn Kashmir into a coveted wedding destination in 2024, building on the success of the current tourism wave, is certain to further increase the tourist traffic. The government has ambitious plans to transform the valley into a year-round tourist haven, embracing cultural, religious, and adventurous aspects. Once again, Kashmir’s scenic beauty has brought Bollywood back in a big way. The administration has issued permissions to around 150 films and web series to be shot in the Valley.
That said, while thriving tourism is needed to give a leg up to the Valley’s economy, we have to also ensure that the activity is not indiscriminately encouraged at the cost of the Valley’s fragile ecology. The Valley can only accommodate only a certain number of tourists annually and the administration should take this fact on board in its plans to boost tourism in the union territory, both in Jammu division and Kashmir Valley.
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