Kashmir Tourism: Victim of misinformation

Honest and true to myself I would have been much happier, if I had to write on how to manage and maintain this huge influx of tourists and ever growing tourism to Kashmir as tourism on the world map has grown manifolds in the recent past and Kashmir being a branded tourism destination in itself would not have left behind in getting its due share of tourism, but, sad and unfortunate as it is I am deliberating upon the unfortunate reality of diminishing tourism to Kashmir and also to ponder upon as how to increase the tourist footfall with a special thrust on adventure tourism in our “happy valley” which Kashmir was known among tourists prior to its political turmoil. 

As a despondent tourism player I try to foresee the moods and movements of Kashmir tourism which for quite some time is taking tosses & turns as it has become a victim of political unrest, prejudice and a preconceived thought of ill will against those who are working for this most workable industry in Kashmir. My four decade long journey in tourism industry, working in as many as four countries and having seen many dead places coming alive on tourism map and now witnessing a glorious tourism destination of Kashmir overlooked by even those who once used to dream to visit this enchanting place on planet earth. Watching Kashmir tourism becoming a victim of politics, hate & misinformation is disheartening and painful affair for a person like me who all his life have loved and worked for this great industry which is flourishing around the world by leaps and bounds. Kashmir which was once not only synonymous to Indian tourism but also an icon of the India’s tourism industry is now struggling to make its presence felt not only in the domestic circles but at foreign levels too. 

   

We all are in agreement that tourism in general is a peace time trade. Kashmir is a case of political conflict but In present times there are so many places that are politically disturbed. Despite conflict the routine of life, including the activities of trade, commerce and industry that includes tourism, go side by side. Unfortunately it is not so when it comes to Kashmir. Unfortunately some right wing Hindu parties are spreading hate, overtly and covertly asking their people not to visit Kashmir, just to satisfy their misplaced sense of nationalism. Matter are worsened by some print and electronic media houses who leave no stone unturned to further damage the Kashmir tourism by holding meaningless debates on Kashmir and also reporting negative and out of context stories, thus create doubts among those who plan their holidays in Kashmir.

Despite of the fact that world is full of political conflicts and in geo-economic disagreements, the present day tourist has accepted this fact and is ever ready to venture into the places with political instability. Kashmir being one among the conflict areas the people working for this industry has to learn to live with this fact and adopt a strategy where it can cater its tourism with a changed and broader outlook, we have to create and adopt an atmosphere with new guide lines based on just and genuine policies to lure a tourist to Kashmir.

As an adventure tourism player I still believe that everything is not lost. We remain persistent in presenting our tourism products in a right and positive way. Adventure tourism which is growing at a steady pace all over the world is most suitable to promote in a place like Kashmir as there is endless potential for adventure tourism, this segment of tourism is highest in money spending and highest in creating job avenues among the youth who are well versed with adventure sports; one more plus point is that adventure being a daring and risk taking activity the people involved with this recreational sport don’t hesitate to visit the conflict prone areas, something  we must factor in. I was amazed to see a survey done by a group of the US based adventure tour operators who found the interesting results about the negative growth of adventure tourism in the conflict ridden areas of adventure tourism. As per this survey the break up of the responsible factors in percentage is like this: image not projected positively – 58 % , Poor marketing – 26%, lack of international air travel connectivity – 50%, local transportation – 47%, Political stability 32%, health & security 30 %, and food etc 28%. This survey surely is a good indication for politically strife torn places like Jammu & Kashmir, as only 30 to 32 % of the adventure enthusiastic people are skeptical to visit the places where political stability and security comes under question. And if the area in question is projected with a positive image and marketed adequately, it definitely will help to attract more and more adventure tourists to that place. In this regard film industry provides a key advertising component. Tourism departments, tour & travel agents, adventure tour operators, airline companies, hoteliers and houseboat owners and other service providers have also an important role to play in tourism promotion, by advertising and selling their products. While building the positive image of a place which is going through the political crises special attention is needed in reporting any mishap by media. Tourism authorities need to have some spokesperson readily available to media to rectify any wrong reporting, re-establish confidence among the people intending to travel to Kashmir. 

The large number of tourist arrivals to Kashmir in previous years is a welcome sign but we should not measure success by sheer number of visitors but by their length of stay and the money they have spend. We have to give more places and more nights to a traveler as our traditional golden triangle, Srinagar – Pahalgam – Gulmarg is too small an area for a tourist who wants to spend couple of weeks or more in a place like Kashmir. There is an industrial boom in India and corporate world is growing. We can easily attract corporate people for adventure activities like camping, rafting, golfing, mountain biking, trout angling in the streams and high altitude lakes, canoeing and kayaking in the mountain streams, lakes and river Jhelum. We can add these activities to our broachers which means extended stay at the relevant places. 

Our department of tourism which is already working hard to put tourism back on track, has to do more work while developing old and new areas for leisure & recreational tourism. The concerned department must engage the services of qualified and professional consultants in adventure tourism wing. They have to identify different types of adventure activities and requirements needed for managing the adventure tourism destinations and look for the potential customers, take care of  their needs and requirements while planning and conducting adventure tours for them. We have to identify various kinds of natural environments for adventure activities, check the associated requirements and problems, identify ethical and environmental issues related to adventure tourism, list the target groups for marketing adventure tourism and identify the adventure tourism activities which have the greatest potential for financial success in our state. Summarize brochures on different adventure tourism attractions and enhance the potential of adventure tourism in the mountainous and high altitude areas where people live – like Pannikhar, Padum, Kishtawar, Gurez. Check the activities which needs licensing requirements in adventure tourism, encourage people who are qualified in adventure sports to cater to the needs of adventure tourist, give incentives to the qualified adventure tour operators to create infrastructure and adventure equipment, identify the ways in which the adventure tourism market might be segmented and watch the consumer trends which are changing in adventure tourism, list different types of natural adventure tourism activities which have experienced growth in recent years in other Himalayan states, Europe and western countries and list the issues which tourism department should consider while planning and developing adventure tourism destinations. 

While developing the new places with adventure activities, we must bring some old tourist attractive events to the fore. The Polo Sport which was once an event of great importance in Kashmir is now totally ignored & neglected, the polo ground in the heart of Srinagar city should be restored to its old glory as this princely sport is now fast becoming a sport of the classes and masses, and if restored it can attract a whole lot of polo enthusiasts from far and wide. 

To give more choice to the present day adventure tourist, our government should develop some more areas. In Srinagar the area of Harwan Mahadev can be easily developed by setting up a ropeway and the foot track between the beautiful sites of Dara and Mahadev top which will promote the adventure tourism to a great deal as the area has got huge potential in adventure tourism activities including the winter sports. The 360 degree wide angle panorama from top of Mahadev will leave a tourist spellbound by breathtaking views of the whole valley including mount. Harmukh in north, mount Kolahai in east, Nun Kun Pinacle, Brahma, Skilmoon and white needle in south and Tratkooti and Sunset peak in the west. In summer this area can give boost to the activities like hiking and camping and in winter it can prove the best skiing resort as the area is accessible in about 30 to 45 mints from any part of the Srinagar city. Similarly the Hari Parbat fort on the famous Kohi Maran hill which is opened now for the tourists should be made easily accessible by laying a road with black tar up to its front gates while a walkable track should be made around this fort with the viewpoints like the one on eastern side of this hill called Kostoor Peind. Powerful telescopes should be installed at these points which can give a close view to a tourist while looking at the mountain scenery and the sights of the old city. The glory of river Jhelum can be revived which was once the only mode of transportation between south and north Kashmir, by introducing small local doonga type cruise boats, Shikaras and light power motor boats which can take tourists for ride from zero bridge through old city to the finishing point at Safa Kadal while stopping in between at the places like Fateh Kadal and  Zaina Kadal for sightseeing of old city which will not only add up one more activity to the tourist map of Srinagar but will also bring back the charm to our main part of the old cityalso known as down town. To bring the Duksum – Synthen Pass – Madhwah Kishtawar road and Duksum – Mati Gavran – Margan Pass – Inshan road into the tourist circuit the road connectivity should be taken up on priority basis so that the regions of Kishtawar and Baderwah which have got huge potential in adventure tourism can get developed as the area is trekker’s paradise and mountaineers delight.

Under the present circumstances and situation prevailing in Kashmir for a sustainable tourism we all have to work hard and go extra mile. The government agencies and authorities of tourism have to play a role of a responsible care taker. Their constant vigil and action can help to sustain the trade in a big way. A look at the important towns dotting the tourist map of the valley reveals that not much has been done by the government to make the stay of the tourists comfortable and memorable one. Bad roads, unhygienic conditions of road side restaurants and dhabas on the national highway from Jammu to Srinagar and at the hill stations, harassment by the touts, and pony men at the places like Gulmarg and Sonamarg, exorbitant rents in some hotels & private guest houses, non-availability of good restaurants and standard food items and the level at which the food items are priced, put the tourists off. Non-availability of professional guides in leisure, adventure and heritage tourism, lack of adequate and good transport facilities and conducted tours by the good luxury coaches are the other factors dampening the enthusiasm of the visitors, this coupled with inadequate publicity of the natural, traditional and heritage assets of the valley, makes a large number of tourists pack up their bags earlier than scheduled. Another important and necessary pre – requisite to develop a particular area for pleasure or adventure tourism is the accessibility and good road connectivity to that place. Our state is fortunate enough in this regard as almost all our adventure tourism starting points are easily accessible by roads though some of these roads are in a bad shape and pathetic condition, to make the tourist traffic hassle free to the tourist destinations our government should make the road connectivity as good as possible on priority basis.

If given the right incentives, the tourism in general and adventure tourism in particular can become the primary export-oriented industry of our state. The low input and the high returns nature of this industry can make it self-sufficient for a resources starved state of ours and if due care and attention is given to this industry it can work wonders for our state’s  economy, But at the same time we should keep one thing in our minds that howsoever beautiful the place may be unless ethics, quality services, professionalism and discipline is not maintained, tourists will go back unhappy and disappointed and that causes more negative publicity than anything else which is not only the big loss to the industry in particular but to the state in general.    

Rauf Tramboo is Adventure Sports Guide & Travel Consultan

rauf@email.com

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