Tourist boom expected as snow pattern changes

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 12

With the Kashmir valley witnessing ‘maximum precipitation’ in February, the authorities expect the winter tourism season to peak this month.

Several winter sports activities, including a national skiing event and Gulmarg derby, are on the cards this month. “In the last decade and a half, the snow pattern has shifted towards February, which is the best time to hold winter sports events now. We will hold several events like a national ski championship, Gulmarg derby, snow cycling and cross-country run (in Gulmarg),” said Director, Tourism, Mahmood Ahmad Shah.

As the upper reaches received heavy snowfall today, the Tourism Department is hopeful that the tourist arrivals will pick up.

“The snowfall will definitely trigger footfalls and we can look forward to a boom in the arrivals as Himachal Pradesh is dry at present. And, the forecast of more snow is also favourable,” Shah said.

Director, Meteorological Department, Sonum Lotus, said it would be premature to conclude that the weather pattern had completely changed, adding that the Valley was witnessing maximum precipitation February.

“Due to more western disturbances, maximum precipitation is witnessed in February. During the last two years, we received more snow in February as compared to January but we cannot say that the pattern has completely changed,” Lotus said.

While January mostly remained dry this year as well, Lotus said weather in February was expected to remain ‘erratic’ and not ‘’completely dry’’.

As some private stakeholders have been complaining of low tourism inflow this winter, Shah said adventure sports activities such as heli-skiing were going as enough snow had accumulated in the upper reaches this winter.

“Thankfully, it snowed in September, October, November and December (in the upper reaches). As a result, the basic crust (of snow) was developed. Though Gulmarg bowl was affected, heli-skiing activities were going on smoothly in mountains. Now, fresh snow will help kick-start more activities,” he said.

Shah said besides domestic tourists, they were hoping that more foreign tourists would arrive for adventure sports activities.

The government has been holding a series of road shows and events across the country to attract domestic tourists. It is particularly promoting adventure sports activities such as heli-skiing in Gulmarg.

A team of officials had been sent to a ski festival in Austria in November last year to promote Gulmarg as a skiing destination among foreign tourists. As per the Tourism Department, 75,367 tourists, including 1,440 foreigners, visited the Valley last month while 9,27,815 visited Kashmir last year. Even as the tourism industry had revived in 2011 and 2012 after three consecutive years of unrest in the Valley, the devastating floods of September 2014 yet again dented the sector.