Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is gearing up for a winter spell, with the season's first snowfall recorded in picturesque Gulmarg early last week. The weather forecast for the next seven days starting from Tuesday says Srinagar would experience sub-zero temperatures (-2 to -5 degree Celsius). Leh is predicted to see a bigger drop, with the mercury expected to drop to as low as -9 degree Celsius, the temperature recorded on Tuesday (December 20) was -14 degree Celsius, according to the weather department.
Srinagar's famous Dal Lake has frozen, bringing boating activities to a halt.
However, the state may not benefit from the influx of tourists who flock to the state's tourist hotspots like Banihal, Srinagar, Jammu, Gulmarg and Pahelgam, given the problems arising out of demonetisation.
For J&K, it's a double-whammy this year, as the tourism industry saw a significant dip due to the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.
"We have lost about four to five lakh tourists during these five months," Mahmood Ahmad Shah, director, Tourism, Kashmir, told the Indian Express early this month. The drop was disproportionate among domestic tourists than foreign tourists.
The numbers of foreign tourist who visited India during 2013, 2014, 2015 were 6.97 million, 7.68 million and 8.03 million, respectively, though there is no data on arrivals to J&K.
The loss to the hotel industry was huge, according to industry estimates. "The people associated with hotel industry pegged the loss to the tune of Rs 200 crores. Hotels and restaurants have lost about Rs 200 crores," Showkat Chowdhary, president of Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA), told the daily.
Tour operators are optimistic that the snowfall and plunging will draw tourists to the state. "For last five months, due to unrest, no tourists have visited Kashmir. Now situation is improving and we expect tourists in coming months," Bilal Ahmad, a tour guide in Gulmarg, told the India Today Group.
