Snow in Gulmarg ignites hope for a revival of winter tourism

Srinagar, Jan 26: In Gulmarg, a recent blanket of fresh snowfall has breathed new life into the aspirations of the winter tourism industry in Kashmir.

The pristine white cover has become a harbinger of hope for tourism stakeholders, hoteliers, and travel agents alike, who are now eagerly anticipating a resurgence of joy after an extended dry spell.

The absence of snow has significantly affected winter tourism in Gulmarg and other places. This absence of snow has disrupted major skiing events and impacted seasonal courses offered by various educational institutions in the region.

Hotel occupancy had significantly decreased, with numerous cancellations reported, but the fresh snowfall has ignited hope among the tourism players.

People related to the tourism industry said that they are expecting 100 per cent occupancy in hotels especially in Gulmarg in the coming weeks.

Rauf Ahmad Tramboo, President, Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) said that the snowfall in Gulmarg and the weather prediction from January 26 to Feb 2 have generated new hope among them.

He said that there were 80 percent cancellations due to the prolonged dry spell. " These cancellations were from tourists who wanted to enjoy skiing. But from January 25, the cancellations have stopped. Tourists want to visit Kashmir.  All our other bookings were intact," he said.

He said the bookings for leisure tourism were not affected. " We gave tourists a few choices and also diverted them to different places like Sinthan Top in January," he said.

Farooq Kuthoo, Tourism stakeholder said that the tourism players are hopeful that February snowfall will bring joy and happiness and expect good footfall, unlike January.

He said that if there is a good snowfall, we are expecting 100 percent occupancy in hotels especially in Gulmarg.

" People are sending queries after the snowfall in Gulmarg. Kashmir is not only about snowfall. We have a rich history, our heritage, culture, art and craft, everything is interesting," he said.

On Friday, the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir including Gulmarg, Sonamarg Zojila Pass, Sinthan Pass, Pir ki Gali on Mughal Road received snowfall ending a two-month-long dry spell in Kashmir.

According to the Meteorological (MeT) Department, the forecast for January 27 suggests partly to generally cloudy weather, with the possibility of light snow at isolated higher reaches late in the evening.

“As we move into January 28-29, generally cloudy weather is expected, with the likelihood of light to moderate rain/snow at numerous locations. The forecast for January 30-31 indicates a potential for light to moderate rain/snow at various places, followed by a continued possibility of such precipitation from February 1-3 at numerous locations,” Met said.