Rahul and his friends from Chennai had come to Kashmir to holiday in the ski resort of Gulmarg on New Year’s Eve. Their return flight was scheduled on Sunday when snowfall disrupted surface and air traffic. They have had to stay back as the snowfall continued till Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, they were on way to Dal Lake. “We are going to explore Srinagar. It is too good to describe. Except for the fact our flights were cancelled, everything else is amazing,” Rahul, a corporate employee, said while his friends busied themselves clicking pictures of a gigantic Chinar tree covered with snow near Chinar Park. “The people here are so hospitable,” he said.
As the number of Covid-19 infections in Jammu and Kashmir dipped to a large extent and snowfall began in late December and January, tourists started arriving in the valley in large numbers after 16 months.
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Tourism in Kashmir took a hit since August 5, 2019, when the special status of the erstwhile state was revoked and restrictions imposed on the movement of people and communication for months. Two days before the revocation of Article 370, around 20,000-25,000 tourists in Kashmir were asked to leave the Valley along with the Amarnath pilgrims. The situation was then further aggravated by the Covid-19 lockdown since March 2020.
About 20-30 tourists would arrive per day in July, 2020, and there have been over 1,000 visitors every day since December 25, 2020, according to the tourism department.
{{/usCountry}}About 20-30 tourists would arrive per day in July, 2020, and there have been over 1,000 visitors every day since December 25, 2020, according to the tourism department.
{{/usCountry}}However the inflow of tourists was disrupted after surface and air traffic was suspended since Sunday following heavy snowfall.
Unmindful of the fact that his parents were worried about their flight back home, Yashwant, a teenager from Delhi appeared ecstatic while playing in the snow. “I just love it,” he said as his mother asked him to go inside the hotel.
Meanwhile, Charan, his wife and infant daughter were trying to negotiate the slush-covered road to find a good food outlet for lunch.
“It is too cold. We are trying to acclimatise to this atmosphere. I have worn a lot of layers. Though I have been to Ladakh, this is for the first time I have experienced snow,” said Charan, who had come with a group from Hyderabad on January 2.
The heavy snowfall seems to have boosted tourism in Kashmir Valley.
Sajid Ahmad, a visitor from Lucknow, said that they mostly spent their days inside owing to the snowfall. “We travelled small distances in Srinagar and could not go anywhere farther due to the snowfall. Our return flight is on January 8 and we are trying to see as much as we can,” he said.
Free accommodation for stranded tourists
Many travel, trade and tourism bodies in Kashmir have come together to assist stranded tourists who are short of funds to help them and provide them accommodation without charge. They formed a forum and put up phone numbers in social media for those in need.
“With this heavy snowfall, many tourists are stuck in Srinagar and the Tourism Forum shares the difficulties they are facing in this difficult time. We are sincerely with them and will try to do whatever best can be done,” the forum said in a statement.
“Whosoever is stranded or needs a room or does not have cost of boarding or lodging or who has to overstay due to the closure of roads and airport, this forum will provide help,” said Abdul Hameed, chairman of the Houseboat Owners’ Association.
“Many of our friends and associates have opened their houseboats, hotels and even vehicles for stranded tourists,” he said.
In Gulmarg, the deputy commissioner Baramulla has asked hoteliers and others to extend the stay of tourists and guests till the weather improves.
“CEO Gulmarg Development Authority and Assistant Director Tourism have been directed to ensure the necessary compliance and establish help desk for the purpose,” the DC said.