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From snowflakes to smiles: Snow spell turns Kashmir into tourist magnet
The mountains of the Himalayan valley, including the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, and the mesmerising meadow of Sonamarg in central Kashmir have been receiving intermittent light snowfall for the past 10 days, turning them into winter wonderlands
With Kashmir turning into a winter wonderland and calender changing to New Year, tourists are flocking to the Valley to soak in its snowy charm. This pour in of tourists has brought cheers on the faces of tourism stakeholders who were reeling under the aftermath of Pahalgam and Delhi attacks.
The mountains of the Himalayan valley, including the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, and the mesmerising meadow of Sonamarg in central Kashmir have been receiving intermittent light snowfall for the past 10 days, turning them into winter wonderlands. The weather office has predicted more snow till January 1.
Tourism stakeholders say that the snow resorts of Gulmarg and Sonamarg are sold out with tourists making a beeline to the valley’s adventure destinations. “Nature has always been kind to our tourist destination of Gulmarg. This year, snowfall was very much needed. Timely snowfall has coincided with the new year as Gulmarg is the first choice of people of the country to celebrate the New Year. And I am thankful to tourists (for coming)...,” said chief executive officer of Gulmarg development authority(GDA), Tariq Naik.
He said that a grand programme was planned in Gulmarg on the new year. “When people from across the country visit, a cultural integration ensues. All the stakeholders across Gulmarg and Tangmarg have framed a joint programme on the New Year’s eve,” he said.
The enthusiasm of the tourists is indicative of the renewed push to the tourism sector in the valley which nosedived after the Pahalgam attack in April and then Delhi blast in November, in which a Kashmiri doctor was allegedly involved.
Kashmir’s winter tourist footfall largely relies on Gulmarg, the ski bowl in the western Himalayas near the Line of Control, some 50km north of Srinagar. After snowfall, the place fills with tourists and skiers, even some foreigners, who come to ski.
Gulmarg gondola, a flagship cable car attraction of Kashmir and India’s highest ropeway, takes people to two mountain stages – the first phase takes to Kongdori bowl at a height of 2,650 m (8,694 ft) and second phase soars to Apharwat at a height of 3,980 m (13,058 ft).
Assistant director tourism, Tahir Wani, said that all the hotels in Gulmarg were sold out on the New Year’s eve. “The tourist revival started from Gulmarg. It is crazy here, with not even a single room vacant. People are looking for accommodations like anything and they are not able to find even a single room,” Wani said.
He said that the New Year will be celebrated at midnight with gala events. “There will be musical evenings, night skiing and stalls selling Kashmir arts during the night,” he said.
Kashmir tourism’s recovery had been slow this year after the Pahalgam attack in which 25 tourists and a local was by terrorists in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam on April 22.
Many, including chief minister Omar Abdullah, had pinned their hopes on weather to attract more tourists following the snow activity in the Valley in early October. But that was before the Delhi Red Fort blast which killed 12 people.
Discreet security arrangements have been put in place with road-opening parties, mandatory CCTVs at hotels and markets, furnishing lists of visitors with police stations, real-time monitoring of their movement amid close coordination between security agencies in the valley. These are some of the new standard operating procedures in place.
Secretary general of travel agents association of Kashmir Sajad Kralyari said that all the hotels in Sonamarg in Ganderbal district have also been sold out. Sonamarg has become an all weather tourist destination now after the Sonamarg tunnel was thrown open earlier in January.
“For the past few days Gulmarg and Sonamarg have been sold out. Pahalgam also is witnessing an uptick though the snowfall there is less. Overall the occupancy in Kashmir is 60%. Snowfall has revived tourism in the valley,” he said.
The government also expects more tourists in coming months as Khelo India Winter Games are always a major attraction.
Kralyari said that the people have started coming owing to the increase in confidence after those who felt safe shared their travel experiences on social media.
He said that more tourists are coming to the valley also owing to the dismal snowfall in Manali. “Tourists who had plans for Manali are diverting to Kashmir,” he said.
