Gulmarg, Feb 19: The National Winter Games at Gulmarg is not just a sports event. If the authorities in the tourism department are to be believed, business is overpoweringly the underlying motive behind the event. 
 Holding the NW games at the picturesque Gulmarg is a new strategy of the J&K Tourism to promote the tourism in the Valley, senior officials of the department said.
 While the state has hosted the event twice earlier in 1998 and 2004, this time there is more focused attention towards promoting tourism in the Valley, they said.
 “Gulmarg is a skiers paradise, the sports lovers and players can’t imagine as natural slopes as Gulmarg offers them. But at the same time it is a prime tourist destination having the potential to bring tourists from different parts of the world,” Director Tourism, Farooq Ahmad Shah said.
 He said holding the national games in Gulmarg was a part of the government’s plan for promotion of tourism in the state. “We have been trying to woo the tourists to the state and are trying same while holding this national event here,” Shah added.
 “The event is aimed at boosting both the sports and the tourism in state. We hope the event will also be beneficial for the locals,” Joint Director Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez said, adding that Gulmarg would be the only skiing destination in the world so close to the international airport coming up in Srinagar.
 When asked about the infrastructure at the tourist resort, he said there was a huge scope for its upgradation. “Earlier there were only a few hotels which were centrally heated, but now many new hotels have come up with top facilities and centrally heating system,” Sarmad said.
 The event has already drawn a good number of tourists to the resort. “I have been here for the past four days. I decided to stay for at least three to four days more given the beauty of this place,” Raj Kumar, a tourist said.
 The hotel and sledge owners too are excited and hope that the event will bring more tourists to the resort.
 “We have been witnessing a good rush of the tourists apart from the people who have come to participate in the games. Many hotels are fully booked,” a hotel owner said.
 Locals and foreign tourists enjoying the sledge rides is a common scene in Gulmarg these days.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 IST