This World Tourism Day, Jammu and Kashmir beyond the hotspots

The journey from ‘One State, Many Worlds’ to ‘Chalo Kashmir’ is adventurous and engaging. The first tourism slogan belongs to Karnataka and the second to Jammu and Kashmir. World Tourism Day, celebrated every year on September 27, reminds me that there is so much to observe and experience in this world. In essence, human life is a tour. The word “tourism” signifies a break from the mundane, a holiday to de-stress, a time set to rejuvenate.

Mountain dwellers go to beaches, people living in tropical areas want to be in the snow-clad Himalayas, some enjoy boating on a quiet lake, and some go river rafting. The beauty of different tourist sites pulls people in for different reasons. The motive is to unwind and experience some excitement away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

The Kashmir Valley and the mighty Himalayas see millions of tourists throng through the seasons. In the last four years, there have been ups and downs in many sectors due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Despite hurdles, the tourism sector has seen steady growth. The tourist footfall for the year 2021-22 was the highest in 75 years at 1.88 crore. There was also a 59 per cent increase in foreign tourists this year. The successful G20 working group meeting in Srinagar gave impetus to foreign tourism. This tremendous transformation reflects that the union territory has adopted a constructive approach and taken up initiatives to boost tourism in the Valley. There has been significant effort invested in building infrastructure and connectivity and the result is visible. The government has fostered much-needed tourist village networks and has started promoting adventure tourism along with sightseeing. Today, tourists want to make the most of their visit by enjoying the local Kashmiri cuisine and appreciating their culture and traditions. Spiritual tourism has pulled devotees from far across the country on a regular basis. Be it the Vaishno Devi darshan, the uphill Amarnath Yatra or the annual urs at the sufi shrines of the Valley, the connection is deeper here, the paradise on earth.

The soothing snowfall of winter, the colourful spring, and the sunshine and warmth of summer have their respective subscribers. Destinations like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Srinagar are popular and tourists buzz around these places throughout the year. The real beauty of Kashmir remains silent in the midst of the noise at the popular destinations. The offbeat, unexplored and unheard places of the Valley are the sites that can mesmerise anyone. There are places in the north of the capital like the Gurez Valley, the Bangus Valley, the river Kishanganga, the Neelam Valley in Kupwara and the new pickup Border Tourism in Keran and Teetwal — they have attracted niche tourists. One can see people across borders, all along the riverfront, and children playing with their sheep and flock in the green meadows on either side.

The places to the south of the capital have their own charm. The meadows of Chiranbal and Badi Bahek, the glacial lakes of Kausar Nag, the cascading waterfall at Aharbal of Kulgam, Peer Ki Gali along Mughal road in Shopian, Sangerwani in Pulwama or Drang waterfall in Anantnag are unfamiliar places with tremendous hidden beauty. The meandering rivers, the high-altitude lakes, and the mountain peaks along Pir Panjal have no name and no fame. Unfortunately, the tourist footfall at these places is insignificant. Overcrowding in spots like Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg deprives one of calm as these destinations lose their charm over time. We need a cluster-based approach, development partners, private players, and community help, to make a roadmap for tourism promotion in the Union Territory.

In fact, in recent times, the administration has made huge efforts to put these places on the map. Fairs, festivals, heritage walks, nature walks, trekking expeditions, rock climbing, cycling, ice hockey, and winter sports were administrative initiatives to engage the youth and the locals in tourism promotion activities.

Lt Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha focussed on 75 off-beat destinations, 75 sufi or religious sites, 75 new cultural or heritage sites, and 75 new tracks in the Union Territory. The Tourist Village Development Programme (TVDP) has been initiated for the promotion of homestays in picturesque rural areas to upgrade the infrastructural facilities catering to the increasing number of tourists at these sites. Panchari, a village in Udhampur is a witness to this change and is the first tourist village with a homestay facility.

Residents close to tourist sites can offer rental stays at their homes to tourists. This warm hospitality is inherent to the Kashmiri culture. Biassed notions about the Valley can be easily overridden by its rich culture. Once the homestays are operational, tourists can book them at reasonable rates prior to their visits. This will also stabilise the lodging and boarding charges of the hotels in the capital.

Tourists from across the country are in a dual fix — a time constraint and a lack of knowledge about the unexplored places of Kashmir. That’s where travel agents, tourist guides, tour operators, hoteliers, and adventure groups all have a major role to play.

This World Tourism Day, I have a sincere reminder for tourists and tour providers: Don’t miss out on the off-beat destinations of the Valley.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is the host country for the UN World Tourism Day celebrations for 2023 with Tourism and Green Investment as its motto. This international forum reverberates the same theme of making tourism an adventurous and enjoyable activity. It is noteworthy to mention this motto’s relevance for a fragile Himalayan ecosystem here. The frequent earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and blockades due to snowfall are a major hurdle in tourism promotion. In nascent stages, tourism primarily demands infrastructure support — roads, resorts, entertainment parks, connectivity, etc. But for an ecologically sensitive zone, it is imperative to make green investments in order to preserve and protect the local community and the landscape. J&K will be gearing for rapid infrastructural growth in most tourist destinations to cater for the demand of the ever-increasing flow of tourists. Green investment is essential to create pollution-free, environmentally sustainable projects. For this, we need a more region-specific, customised strategy. Along with tourist footfall comes the carbon footprint that needs to be checked by demarcating green zones, reducing vehicular traffic at tourist sites and involving the local community in decision-making.

We must also emphasise tourist health and hygiene, follow eco-friendly guidelines and create environmental awareness. The Department of Tourism makes year-round efforts to promote district tourism along with popular destinations and sites. This must encourage the government, the administration, the stakeholders, and the locals to develop, preserve and promote tourist sites, create jobs, engage the youth, and reap the fruits of tourism economically in a sustainable and prosperous manner without disturbing the ecology and environment.

The writer is a Karnataka-origin officer based in Kashmir