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| Foreigners account for just one percent of Kashmir tourism | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 7: The lifting of advisory by the British Government for its citizens against visiting Kashmir will not have much affect on tourism in the region, which is economically being benefited by the local tourists.
According to State Government about 14-lakh domestic tourists arrived in Kashmir and the number of foreigners was just about 15,000.
So foreign tourists comprise of just one-percent of the totally tourists arrival in the Kashmir.
In addition to it it's not the high-end foreign tourists which arrived there but what is popularly called back-packers, who travel in shoe-string budget.
In comparison to it there has been much substantially number of the tourists growth in Ladakh. This year about 1.50 lakh tourists, including about 35,000 foreigners, had arrived there.
The foreign tourists in Leh not only shelve out more money but stay for longer duration as it's barren hills, suitable of trekking, which attracts them more.
The weather conditions in Kashmir are not much different from Europe, so on that account it lacks the novelty to attract them, who prefer hot areas and high areas like Leh.
So economically it won't make any much difference as domestic tourists not only have deep pockets, especially those coming from Gujarat and Maharashtra, but do shell it out also.
The advisory may have a political ramification in sustaining the argument of the India that Kashmir like another place in the country is safe for tourists.
But it has the possibility of evoking sharp reactions from terrorists backed separatists, who had in the past asked US citizens and importantly Israelis to leave Kashmir after some disturbances.
The brand Kashmir won't attract so much attention in the world because of the terrorism and perception against it in the world.
The Government should instead focus on domestic tourists and try to silence out separatists like Geelani who are voicing voices against Amarnath yatra, which could have serious affect of discouraging domestic tourists on arriving and it could spell economic death knell to it. |
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