SRINAGAR, June 1: Nearly half a million tourists have visited Kashmir so far this year, state’s chief minister said on Friday.
Omar Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir-a state plagued by a brutal conflict since 1989- is opening to tourists as violence subsides in the strife-torn region.
“In last five months, nearly 4.5 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir Valley,” he said
The Valley has been witnessing a huge rush of tourists with hotels booked to the full and the resorts across the Valley jam-packed. The chief minister said cultural activities should be showcased to the tourists.
“We would want to share our cultural identity, history and art with the tourists,” Omar said.
Open air theatres in the Valley can be used to promote cultural activities, he added.
He backed a 15-day programme to take the Kashmiri culture to the tourists, which according to him was related to tourism, and stressed that it could be projected in the same way.
Violence has eased in Kashmir, a scenic valley once a top Asian tourism destination, popular among honeymooners, skiers, trekkers and anglers. It attracted about a million tourists every year until 1989, when simmering anger against New Delhi’s rule burst into a violent rebellion.
But Kashmir recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals in 2011, which so far is a record in the tourism history of the region.
