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Snow
fascinating tourists in Gulmarg
by Bilal Butt
Gulmarg: With the winters reluctant to leave Gulmarg, a large number of tourists are thronging the scenic resort here in Kashmir to witness the picturesque snow-blanketed slopes of the region. Located at an altitude of 8,500 feet in the Pir Panjal ranges of Kashmir, Gulmarg is a bowl-shaped plateau of lush green meadow in spring and blanketed in snow, wrapped around in a thick forest cover. Thirty-two miles from Srinagar, it is a favoured winter tourist destination. Its gentle, snow-covered slopes is teeming with activity as delighted domestic as well as foreign tourists swarmed the hills for sledging and skiing. To the many tourists, who are arriving here from the plains of India, it is like a never-before experience.
"There
is a lot of snow. I have never seen so much snow ever before. I have been
to Manali as well but there wasn't as much snow as there is over here.
The snow here is very nice. I think that if tourists come here they will
have a great time," said Satwinder Singh, a tourist from New Delhi. With
its natural slopes and inclines, Gulmarg is also ideally suited as a premier
ski resort for many of the tourists coming from abroad. " In Switzerland,
you know there are high mountains which are difficult to ski. This seems
easy. I am not used to skiing but I'm enjoying the view over here," said
Marques, a German tourist. Residents associated with tourism industry
are a happy lot. "The tourists are busy playing with ice and enjoying
here. We hope they will go back and recommend this place to other tourists.
Gulmarg is a beautiful place for skiing," said Bashir Ahmed, a houseboat
owner. The year 2006 has raised new hopes of revival of the economy in
Kashmir valley. Tourism has been the mainstay of the economy of the State
for decades. The recent months have witnessed a record number of tourists'
arrival in the Valley. In 2005, over 376,729 tourists visited Kashmir,
once Asia's top tourist destination with its verdant meadows, snow-capped
mountains, pine forests and blue lakes dotted with houseboats.
-Jan
16, 2006
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