subject: Tourism industry hoping wintry weather to boost business in Kashmir [print this page] Tourism industry hoping wintry weather to boost business in Kashmir
Tourism industry hoping wintry weather to boost business in Kashmir
Waheed Yaseen
Agence India Press
November 22, 2010
Srinagar: Winter might be marked with a sharp dip in mercury but tourism industry is expecting chilly season to bring change in their fortunes by luring tourist round the world to make their way back to the valley that witnessed zero' tourism over the last five months of so.
With summer and autumn seasons lost to the unrest, tourism fraternity in Kashmir is pinning their hopes on the winter to make up for the lost ground.
"We have had literally zero tourism in last five months or so. No sooner the unrest started, tourist left the valley dashing our business big time. But we are hoping winter to boost our industry. We have already had some bookings for the season," Mushtaq Ahmad Burza, president Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Owners Federation (KHAROF) told Agence India Press.
The hallmark of winter in Kashmir snow capped lofty mountains- is what Burza and his associates banking on as tourists-national and international- get attracted by second to none skiing surfaces of Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
"As Kashmir provides to the skiing loving people with good surfaces for the sport, we hope that there will be good inflow of tourist as it starts to snow in the valley. Gulmarg and Pahalgam will obviously be major attractions," said Burza, owner of half a dozen premier hotels.
After twenty years of uncertain business, tourism in Kashmir was well on course in its recovery mission early in the year with visitors flooding the valley. But turmoil played the spoilsport.
Death of a teenager allegedly by a police tear gas on June 11 this year sparked valley wide protests against the Indian occupation' with Syed Ali Shah Geelani led Hurriyat Conference launching Quit Kashmir' campaign marked with protest cum strike calendars issued by it. Authorities, on their part, imposed curfew to curb protests. The tumultuous period has witnessed 112 civilian killings thus far.
Hope is the general mood in the fraternity. Be it Houseboat owners, hotel and restaurant owners or people related with the allied businesses, all hope that there is no freezing in the inflow of tourists in the winter.
Normally summer and autumn season is when we make most of the money but unfortunately major parts of both seasons have been lost to the unrest. Now we hope to make amends in the winter as mountains get a blanket of snow is a major fascinations for the tourists," said a house-boat owner.
As Kashmir bids adieu to the autumn, fraternity would be praying that there is no turmoil in the times ahead. (AIP)
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