Srinagar, June 20: The breathtaking and lofty mountains Kashmir has have the potential to attract avid riding lovers from across the world, believe the members of a foreign tourist group presently enjoying summer in the Valley.

 The group from Finland in an exclusive chat with Greater Kashmir termed the Valley as an extraordinary tourist place which has been gifted by Nature with immense beauty and charm. 

 They said the majestic mountains give a thrill to the riders. “It needs professional riders and trekkers. Ordinary people cannot enjoy riding such mountains,” the Finnish group said.

 “We have been to many places across the world, but Kashmir is an extraordinary place. The majestic mountains offer a breathtaking experience to an avid rider,” they said.

 The group said apart from the opulence of its mountains, and aesthetics of its nature-gifted places, the people of Kashmir are extremely friendly and helpful.

 The group has lavish praises for houseboats in Kashmir. “Visiting Kashmir and missing a stay in a houseboat, is simply no visit,” they said. 

 “The inside setting of the houseboats is great. The neatly maintained kitchen inside the houseboat is worth watching,” they said.

 On the services they said: “Everywhere we went, we were greeted with immaculately arranged and fine services.”

 They have also some praise for the ponies used for riding at tourist spots like Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Kashmir. 

 The group believes that adverse travel advisories cannot stop the foreign tourists to come to Kashmir provided the government, media, civil society and everybody here work in tandem to promote Kashmir as a peaceful abode. 

 “We cannot influence governments in Europe to remove the travel advisories. But what we can do is the mouth-to-mouth campaigning. We can use internet to spread the message that Kashmir is safe for tourists,” they said.

 To mention, the tour of the group has been promoted by Yatra Exotic Routes, a Delhi-based travel company. In Kashmir the group was handled by CNE Tours, Srinagar.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST