Peace brings Kashmir tourists back

By Altaf Hussain BBC correspondent in Srinagar

Shikaras have filled up Dal Lake

Tourists are returning to Indian-administered Kashmir, after staying away for years because of an armed conflict between separatist militants and the Indian security forces.

Many people are heading to the scenic Kashmir valley, encouraged by reports of peace and improved relations between India and Pakistan.

Dal Lake in the heart of the state's summer capital, Srinagar, is resplendent once again.

Its fresh water, from nearby snow-clad mountains, is stirred by hundreds of decorated shikaras (ferries) taking tourists on pleasure rides.

It's a scene that has not been witnessed for a very long time.

'Beautiful city'

For the past 15 years, Dal Lake has looked desolate.

When I learnt that Musharraf and Manmohan have made friends I took the first opportunity to come to this paradise Abdul Tayeb from Mumbai Israelis choose Kashmir Paradise regained?

But now tourists are back here in large numbers.

Mohammad Shafi, 35, is a shikarawala or rower and can hardly conceal his joy at the swing in fortunes.

"With God's grace, tourism is doing well this year. We have got enough work. I hope it continues like this," he says.

For the past several years he toiled to make 80 rupees (less than $2) a day by weaving carpets or doing other jobs.

"But now I earn anything between 400 and 600 rupees ($17-26 a day)."

Many of the tourists are on their first visit.

"When I learnt that [Pakistan President Pervez] Musharraf and [Indian PM] Manmohan [Singh] have made friends I took the first opportunity to come to this paradise," said Abdul Tayeb who is from Mumbai (Bombay).

His wife says she had a horrible picture of Srinagar in her mind, full of "gun-toting militants".

Tourists are back in large numbers

But she has changed her mind. "It is a beautiful city," she says.

But Muneera, who is from Maharashtra, says she is scared by the sight of armed Indian soldiers "every half a kilometre".

She says she has a lurking fear that she might be hit by a bullet if the soldiers fire at militants.

The authorities say the tourism industry started improving last year.

This year they expect a boom.

Foreigners scarce

However, foreign tourists are still keeping away.

Before the outbreak of separatist violence in 1989, 8-10% of the foreigners touring India visited Kashmir.

But now the number has plummeted to below 1%.

The state's director general of tourism, Mohammad Saleem Baig, says that 300,000 foreigners should have been visiting Kashmir as the annual number of foreign tourists in India has reached three million.

If tourist inflow sustains for a few years, it'll give confidence to prospective investors to build more hotels Mohammad Saleem Baig Director General, Tourism

"But we had barely 20,000 [foreigners] last year."

This despite the fact that tourists have started coming to India from new regions such as South-East Asia.

The Indian government has not succeeded in persuading the US and European governments to withdraw their advisories to prospective tourists not to visit Kashmir.

Officials say Kashmir is also losing a large number of tourists because of poor travel facilities.

"If you want to visit, you have to wait for weeks for a ticket," says Mr Baig.

Trains run between Mumbai and the winter capital, Jammu, only four days a week.

"I have statistics that show that we can bring twice as many tourists by air as are coming now. But we don't have the seats."

Confidence

But despite all these difficulties, the number of tourists has been swelling by the day.

Ordinary people in areas close to Dal lake have converted their homes into guest houses.

"If tourist inflow sustains for a few years, it'll give confidence to prospective investors to build more hotels," says Mr Baig.

Tourism in Kashmir is expected to get a further boost next month after the beginning of the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath.

The Amarnath temple, situated at an altitude of 4,000 metres in the Himalayas, is expected to attract half a million pilgrims this year.