Kashmir woos more tourists from the Gulf

Dubai: Kashmir, synonymous with stunning beauty, can be the apple of the eye for Gulf travellers seeking fresh getaways, as stability returns to the troubled Valley, a tourism official said.

Talat Parvez, tourism director of Jammu and Kashmir, told Gulf News the Valley’s beauty, cultural similarities and proximity to the Gulf countries make it a natural choice.

But political disturbances had kept tourists away for years. A rebellion by separatists fighting Indian rule in Kashmir began over two decades ago. Now, a relative calm is once again drawing tourists, Parvez said.

Most of the roughly one million tourists who visited Kashmir in 2013 were from India, according to Parvez, with Gulf travellers numbering only in “the hundreds.”

“We don’t have exact figures. [Tourists] from the UAE and Saudi Arabia are hardly a hundred in number.”

More than 55,000 Gulf tourists visited India last year, but virtually all travel was to destinations outside Kashmir, Parvez said.

But his department is now engaged in promoting Kashmir as the new favourite for Arab families. Parvez was recently in Dubai to meet tour operators and investors interested in Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department takes part in the annual Arab Travel Market in Dubai as well.

“We understand that Gulf [tourists] travel as a family, and Kashmir happens to be a family destination for leisure, but it has a great element of adventure too,” Parvez said.

“There is the fascination with mountains and snow, changing seasons — all these points would sell in this market. Arabs have been found to look for new destinations. Once a few families start travelling, other families tend to follow.”

Similar to Arab culture

He added: “And because we are a Muslim state, like the Arabs there is a parda [veil] culture. There are family dining arrangements, halal [Islamic] meals. We have a lot in common with Arabs.”

Parvez said the tourism department plans to soon introduce an Arabic tourist hotline and text message service available round the clock.

“This market is more precious to us in Kashmir than other places; it’s only a four-hour flight from Dubai to Kashmir.”

Re-starting direct or “hopping” flights (without the need to change planes at a stopover) from the UAE to Kashmir’s summer capital, Srinagar, will be a “breakthrough” in boosting visitors, Parvez added.

“[Gulf tourists] have been going to places such as Turkey and Malaysia but enough of that has happened. Kashmir is now a new destination to be reckoned with.”

When asked about security concerns, Parvez stressed “there are no issues now.”

“The overall situation has been very stable. We’ve received so many tourists from so many countries. Nobody stops tourists because tourist spots are not disturbed spots … [Political problems] in border areas cannot be taken as something happening in the capital or tourist spots — they remain as secure as any other tourist place in India.”