Department is providing constant hand holding to stakeholders in these tough times says Sarmad Hafeez
Faizan Ahmad
Srinagar June 23 (KINS): Hit hard by lockdowns since August 2019, tourism has started picking up in Kashmir with tourists exploring new tourist destinations.
Mukesh Aiyer, a resident of Mumbai, came along with his wife and two children to Kashmir last week. He had been in Kashmir in 2015 and 2018 and visited Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Mughal Gardens and Dal Dal Lake. However, this time he decided to visit some hidden tourist destinations of Kashmir.
“I visited Baisaran Valley which is on upper reaches of Pahalgam, Doodhpathri, Daksum and Sinthontop. We also experienced snow at Sinthontop,” Aiyar told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
He said tourists should visit these destinations which remain out of bounds for tourists.
“Tourists are reluctant to go Baisaran because you have to trek on a rough route or ride on horses. We did not face any problem here. We are again planning to visit either in January to see snow and when Dal Lake when freezes due to intense cold,” he said.
Daksum, a trekker’s paradise is located in Bhringi River valley ahead of the Mughal Gardens of Achabal in south Kashmir. Perched at a height of around 2438 m above sea level, the wooded slopes on either sides of Daksum are covered with grass coating and the presence of wooden huts along the mountain river adds to the scenic grandeur of Daksum.
Rakesh Banerjee, who runs a readymade shop in West Bengal, was confined inside his home for several months after the COVID-19 broke out. Recently, he made a programme along with his friends and visited Kashmir.
“I had heard from one of my friends about Doodhpathri. Last week, we visited Doodhpathri and it was a lifetime experience,” he said.
Doodhpathri ‘Valley of Milk’ has remained a secluded place within the Kashmir tour packages. Attaining a height of 2,730 metre above the sea level, this valley is jotted with several peaks, pictorial meadows and evergreen thickets. The rivers and rivulets in this region flows very fast, and in their course, as the waves crushes against the rocks, it creates a milky white appearance; thus the name ‘Doodhpathri’.
Tourism is considered a backbone of Kashmir economy but it has been restricted to few destinations like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Mughal gardens, Tulip Garden and the Dal Lake while dozens of picturesque places have remained hidden destinations. However, it has been seen that tourists are exploring new tourist destinations and government is making effort to bring them on tourism map for their promotion.
Secretary Tourism Department, Sarmad Hafeez said that through this Capacity Building Programme, training will be provided to all the stakeholders associated with the tourism sector so that the tourists visiting Kashmir during this season can feel safe while visiting here. “All the stakeholders having interface with the tourists will be trained through this Capacity Building Programme on Covid-19 protocols and SOPs”, Sarmad Hafeez said.
Highlighting the need for such a programme, the Secretary said the declining number of Covid-19 cases, coverage of more than 80% stakeholders during the vaccination drives has given the Department confidence to train and educate the tourism stakeholders about the post COVID-19 situation and ready them for the same. He said the Department is providing constant hand holding to these stakeholders in these tough times. He added that apart from this programme, a vaccination drive was organised for all those who are either directly or indirectly involved with this sector so that as more people start to visit the Kashmir valley, they may not be at risk or feel unsafe”. (KINS)
Tourism picks up in Kashmir, tourists explore new tourist destinations
