Tourism players worried, pray for snowfall
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 13: The tourists are disheartened, while local tourism stakeholders are concerned because this year, the tourist resort of Sonamarg presents the appearance of just any other place in the absence of snow.
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With no snowfall to add to the charm of the tourist resort—which used to be jam-packed with tourists—due to the ongoing dry spell, those associated with tourism state that most tourists now prefer Manali over Kashmir.
Riyaz Ahmad, one of the stakeholders associated with tourism, mentioned that Sonamarg or any other place gains its value due to snowfall, and the current dry spell is affecting all major aspects of life.
“If it doesn’t snow, it will impact our livelihood. It is not only the tourism sector that is affected; the dry spell would also impact our agriculture and other sectors, with immediate effects on the tourism sector. This place does not hold the same value without snow,” he said.
Tabish, a visitor from Srinagar who operates a travel agency, noted that the absence of snow is starting to affect tourism.
He observed that a number of tourists are now heading towards Manali. “Last year, when I came here, there was considerable snow, and we had to literally push our car midway to reach here. It is sad and unfortunate that this year, the situation is in contrast. If it does not snow, tourists will not come to Kashmir, affecting us,” he said.
Nandini, a tourist from Bengaluru in Sonamarg, while expressing dismay over the absence of snow, mentioned that she is, however, enjoying the cold. “The snow is less, but we cannot help that; with Kashmir being my favorite place, I am enjoying the cold.”
Ishfaq Bashir, who runs a restaurant in Sonamarg, commented that he is seeing fewer tourists reaching the tourist resort, impacting his business and the businesses of others.
“Our operations have also suffered, with several bookings already canceled. While it is natural, we can only hope for things to get better so that tourists come here to enjoy the picturesque Sonamarg.”
However, officials of the Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA) stated that the tourist resort has a good number of tourists compared to last year.
They noted that the administration has decided to keep it open throughout the winter to provide a beautiful experience to visitors.
“We have also started winter sports activities here, and we can say that the tourist footfall is encouraging and better than last year; there are 300 rooms available, double the number of hotels available this year. The number will increase when there is snowfall,” the SDA officials said.
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