Can’t sell Gulmarg if I don’t have snow: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday linked the Valley’s tourism with global climate change, saying that the reality of climate change cannot be ignored any further, and the tourism in famed Gulmarg is dependent on snow.

“If I don’t have snow, I can’t sell Gulmarg. We see glaciers receding, snowfall reducing; these are facts we must confront. The reality of climate change can no longer be ignored,” said the Chief Minister after inaugurating the 17th annual convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

Omar Abdullah said the impact of climate change is a global phenomenon, and this impact cannot be ignored on Kashmir’s tourism, especially in the winter months.

The Chief Minister also called for diversification of adventure tourism to make J&K a year-round adventure destination.

The Chief Minister said attending a convention on adventure tourism is like a homecoming for him.

He recalled his experience with adventure tourism and said that from going up in a hot air balloon to the humble feeling of being part of a summit, one doesn’t need to touch the Everest to feel on top.

He urged the tourism industry to explore artificial snow-making and new technologies to sustain skiing and winter tourism.

He also acknowledged that the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir had endured a challenging year, citing incidents at the Pahalgam attack, the weather and the Delhi blast that disrupted travel flows.

“Only those in the tourism industry understand how hard it is to recover in such times,” he said.

He assured that the government remains committed to supporting operators and ensuring safe tourism experiences.

He called for diversifying adventure offerings, from paragliding and hot-air ballooning to new training programmes to make Jammu and Kashmir a year-round adventure destination.

“The world of adventure tourism is expanding rapidly. We want J&K to be part of that global growth story responsibly, safely and sustainably,” he said.

For the last two months, Kashmir has been reeling under an extended dry spell. However, for Christmas and New Year celebrations, the weather office has some good news as the MET Department has forecast snow in the higher reaches and rain in the plains between December 21 and December 22.

IANS