SRINAGAR: With Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir Valley receiving fresh snowfall, tourists and tourism associated people are buoyed beyond words.
Although the heavy snowfall received in past four days has disrupted normal life, the white carpeted Kashmir presents virtually a wonderland-like look. Tourists on the banks of Srinagar’s Dal Lake were seen gasping for words to describe the beauty and surreal experience they had in snowy Kashmir.
Official estimates say that Kashmir has attracted as many as 18,500 tourists since January 1, with Dal Lake, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg being the most visited places in Kashmir. All the hilly tourist destinations received 3-4ft snowfall.
“The mercury has been plummeting to -5˚C during nights in Gulmarg, where around 3,000 tourists have arrived to enjoy the snow and ski. Pahalgam is also witnessing heavy tourist footfall, with around 1,700 visitors. All hotels in both places are completely booked for more than a month,” said a tourism official.
Tour operators are buoyed with the snowfall saying it will entail bountiful business for them. “We have been waiting for the snowfall, as it attracts more and more tourists to Kashmir which eventually means great business for us,” said Sajad Ahmad, who owns a tour and travel company in Srinagar.
Traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was badly affected owing to its closure off and on due to continuous rains and snowfall and shooting stones at various places along with the highway. Air traffic in Srinagar international airport was also badly affected due to low visibility caused by snowfall.
MeT department said that weather may show gradually improvement in coming days. “Even if it may not snow in plains, the hilly areas will continue to receive moderate to heavy snowfall. So we warn people against venturing into avalanche-prone areas,” said the MeT advisory.
Presently, Kashmir is reeling under the 40-day-long harshest period of winter, locally known as “Chillai Kalan”. It started on December 21, 2021.