Mir Mudasir
For the first time after Covid19 subsided, the tourist places across Kashmir are filled with local and domestic tourists. The tourist rush is visible in the serene tourist places, local cafes and gardens.
Alone the 32 Mughal gardens dotting different parts of Kashmir so far more than seven lakh tourists have visited these magnificent gardens and over five lakh are domestic tourists who had come from various parts of the country.
After many years, especially after the post pandemic, the people associated with the tourism industry and trade are making good earnings and are praying the flow of tourists should continue so they could make up for the losses which the tour operators, hotel and house boat owners suffered.
As per the officers of J&K Tourism department till date 12 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir and enjoyed hospitality of the people of Kashmir. The tourist arrival has already broken a decade old record.
“Yes, we are having a very good season this year, especially from last October and its picking up. We hope during the annual Amarnath yatra it has further gone up,” said a senior Tourism officer. He said the campaigns launched by the department and UT administration are paying off. “So far we are satisfied with tourist arrivals.”
He said there is an exponential hike in tourist influx this year. According to statistics J&K tourism department, March 2022 broke the 10-year tourist arrival record in Kashmir, signalling that the tourism industry is finally on the path to recovery.
As per Union tourism ministry, around 1.42 lakh tourists visited J&K during February alone, breaking the seven-year record. On April 4th this year, the Srinagar International Airport recorded the busiest day ever in history, with 15,014 people travelling on 90 flights in and out of Kashmir.
President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Sheikh Ashiq, the response of tourists towards Kashmir is very encouraging. “This year, so far we had a very good season. Hope this will continue in the coming months. Over the years our sector was running on losses. Now it’s going well for us. Post pandemic many tourists from the country are giving Kashmir a preference which is a good sign for our business.“
For the first time, the Ministry of Civil Aviation approved the five flights a week between Srinagar-Sharjah. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had inaugurated Go First’s Srinagar-Sharjah flight on October 23 last year, connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the United Arab Emirates after around 11 years. And now more flights are being added to Kashmir which will give further fillip to the tourist arrivals towards Kashmir.
To boost adventure tourism in J&K, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched J&K Tourist Village Network under Mission Youth. The initiative is aimed at transforming 75 villages of the UT known for historical, picturesque beauty, and cultural significance into tourist villages.
Even the government is trying to motivate the tourists to visit the areas which were out of bound or close to the Line of Control. “There are a lot of tourists especially in Gurez, Teetwal and other other areas which earlier were no go areas. The tourists are getting a chance to explore new areas and they like the areas,” said Tufail Ahmad, a tour operator.
J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said that the youth-led sustainable tourism initiative will strengthen rural economy and community entrepreneurship, empowering youth and women by providing direct and indirect employment opportunities.
“The UT government is adopting best practices recognizing the uniqueness of each village and showcasing the landscapes, indigenous knowledge systems, cultural diversity & heritage, local values and traditions, besides encouraging film shooting and offering financial incentives as well as ensuring a digital platform to all these villages,” he said.
Governor Sinha and his team have been working overtime to promote the tourism sector. Even the tourists can be seen enjoying hiking expeditions in the countryside as the Forest department has opened new trekking routes. “Not only tourists, now local youth are also following the footsteps of tourists by undertaking trekking deep into mountains,” said Tufail Ahmad, a trekker and guide in south Kashmir.
This year one of the major tourist spots which attracted a lot of people to the valley was the opening of the Tulip garden on the banks of Dal Lake in the last week of March. The garden witnessed an all-time high arrival of over 3.5 lakh visitors, locals as well as domestic tourists, this year since its establishment in 2007. Even the lakes and other water bodies have been visited by a good number of tourists. “After many years, our earnings are good. This should continue,” said Ghulam Mohammad, a shikara owner who was busy ferrying tourists in the placid waters of Dal Lake.
The tourism had nosedived in Kashmir after August 5, 2019 when the special status of the erstwhile state was revoked and restrictions imposed on movement of people and communication shut for months. The situation was then further aggravated by the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and beginning of 2021.
But now things are changing which the local businessmen associated with the tourism trade acknowledge.
“Tourism this year is actually a good number. But still breaking the previous records question is how sustainable it shall be in future as Covid and closed borders have equally contributed to the rise in footfall as well. And reduction on ATF fuel prices by the UT administration has also helped to attract people as the number of flights have increased with reasonable fares has also helped tourists to travel to Kashmir,” said J&K’s prominent tour operator, Omar.
He said Kashmir has a great potential and its economy could change if tourists come in good numbers. “Our economy is tourism and agriculture related. And if it picks up, things could change forever.”
