Gulmarg out in bloom
SRINAGAR : Kashmir’s iconic ski resort town of Gulmarg is spruced up and ready for the visit of delegates for the third Group of 20 (G20) tourism working group meeting scheduled to be held between May 22 to 24, officials said.
While the main summit is in Srinagar, the national and international delegates are scheduled to visit the picturesque bowl-shaped Gulmarg, which loosely translates to “meadow of flowers”, surrounded by pine trees and steep slopes, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, some 50 km from Srinagar.
“Since the G20 meeting is all about tourism, the delegates will visit Gulmarg for an event. They will ride on the cable car gondola to the first and the second phases,” sub-district magistrate, Gulmarg, Syed Altaf said.
The new gondola ride, one of Asia’s largest and highest cable car ringed by pine forests and mountain peaks, has become another major draw for visitors.
The first phase of gondola ride takes a person to Kongdori at a height of 8,530 ft, while the second soars to Apharwat at a height of 12,293 ft.
Altaf, in the run up to the event, said all departments and executing agencies have completed or are giving finishing touches to the developmental works from Magam to Tangmarg to Gulmarg, adding, “All the facelifting and sprucing up has been done. Many pending works have been completed. The macadamisation of the main road will take a few days to complete.”
Tourism officials said around 4.5 lakh tourists have already visited the town from January to April and the event is expected to cement Gulmarg’s place on the global map.
“We already have a lot of tourist bookings and the G20 is obviously going to further boost the tourist arrival from foreign countries,” Altaf said.
Locals rejoice
Locals, meanwhile, have hailed the G20 event for bringing along developmental works.
“We appreciate this and hope that in future the developmental works continue. Tourism has also got a major boost not only here but across Kashmir,” Tariq Ahmad, a resident, adding, “We hope that the foreign delegations coming here further promote the region in their countries.”