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Gulmarg Snow
Festival
Srinagar, Jan 6: Gulmarg
is decked up for Snow festival beginning in the coming few days, director
tourism Farooq Shah said Tuesday.
Hundreds of skiers and
tourists from different countries, majority from India, have arrived in
the ski resort covered under a fresh carpet of snow.
The Snow festival, which
is one of the features of the government’s Winter Tourism Schedule, is
marked by night skiing, snowboarding, ice-skiing cycling and showcasing
of traditional Kashmiri cuisine. Officials said bookings for the festival
have already started.
“We want to market Gulmarg
as a Winter Tourism destination. It has been observed that most of tourists
go to European Countries to spend holidays in winters. By organizing Snow
festival we want to attract tourists to Gulmarg which is far more beautiful
than other tourist destinations in the world,” Farooq Shah told Greater
Kashmir.
Shah said during the
festival locals and tourists can taste traditional Kashmiri food preparations
like Wazwaan, Harissa, Masala, fish and Kashmiri snacks.
“There are special discounts
for families and couples,” Shah said.
Shah said the quality
of snow in Gulmarg is its USP, as it has been declared as best for skiing
by the international ski-experts. He said the department of tourism has
identified many places in Gulmarg to accommodate professional skiers, and
the department would start skiing facilities for families also.
Local and national skiing
championships in the resort would be part of the festival.
Shah said to make Gulmarg
one of the best eco-tourist spots its infrastructure and services will
be upgraded with the help of international experts. He said the Tourism
Department in collaboration with Forest Department is providing logistics
for launching eco-tourism in Gulmarg and its adjacent Valley Botapathri.
“We will not be raising
any concrete structures. Our aim is only to provide camping and trekking
sites for tourists. Botapathri will serve as a base for trekking and nature
trails. We want the tourist mostly foreigners to stay in Gujjar Kothas
and closely see their unique lifestyle. The Gujjars will act as trekking
guides and make their live hood. In a few years, Gulmarg will be best eco-tourist
destination,” Shah added.
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