Summer of Peace: Kashmir Tourism Never Had It This Big

It’s another summer of peace for Jammu and Kashmir and tourists are flocking like never before to this picturesque land of meadows, streams and hills that was deserted just two years ago as tension reigned and bullets flew. Seeking to escape the soaring heat of the plains for the serenity of the famed Kashmir valley, visitors in their thousands are pouring in each day – galvanising the tourism industry and bringing smiles to the faces of thousands of craftspersons, hotel owners, restaurateurs, ‘shikarawallahs’ and the like. In this summer capital, there are simply no rooms to be had. All houseboats on the Dal and Nigeen lakes, hotels and guesthouses are booked to capacity. “There is simply no place anywhere in the Boulevard Road area, which is the famous haunt of the tourists coming to Kashmir each year. Many locals are now converting their residential homes into paying guest facilities,” said Gowhar Maqbool, a hotel owner. Long queues of tourists are seen outside Srinagar’s many Mughal gardens with people waiting for entry tickets to enter the Nishat, Shalimar and Chashma Shahi gardens. Shikarawallahs, who are so much part of the Srinagar charm with their wooden boats, on the Dal and Nigeen lakes are doing roaring business. “I have never been this busy all my life. Perhaps God finally decided to be kind to our families,” said Abdul Salam, 54, a Shikarawallah in Nigeen Lake. All taxi stands in Srinagar city are deserted during the day as almost every available vehicle is ferrying tourists to Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam and other tourist resorts. No wonder that Gulmarg, also a key skiing destination in the winters and renowned for its rolling lush green meadows, has played host to more than 500,000 tourists this year. The