Early snowfall in Kashmir brings pleasant surprise for tourists

Srinagar: Early snowfall in Gulmarg and other areas in Kashmir has boosted the tourism sector as tourists made a beeline to the valley to experience the scenic views.

Several tourists who had come to witness the magic of crimson Chinar leaves falling in Autumn here were in for a pleasant surprise as they could catch the white Gulmarg due to early snowfall on Thursday and Friday.

“We were in Srinagar when we heard that the weather was taking a turn. So, we came here and saw the scenic beauty of the valley. It's not wrong to say that if you want to have a glimpse of heaven then it's in Kashmir, in Gulmarg...we are feeling great,” Manzar Khan, a tourist from Delhi, told PTI.

Asim Kumar Raut from Odisha said, "We enjoyed ourselves after coming here. We were expecting snow, but not snowfall, which we saw for the first time in our lives.”

The tourists who made a beeline to Gulmarg after the snowfall could be seen making snow structures. There was fun and frolic for them as they went sliding, skating and clicked pictures of the snow-clad mountains.

"I've come to Kashmir for the first time. It's called heaven on earth and today I have witnessed it myself. We went to Pahalgam and Sonmarg, and today we came to Gulmarg. It's a beautiful valley. I’m experiencing snowfall here for the first time,” Suhail Ahmad from West Bengal said.

Pune resident Pravidha was all praise for the hospitality of Kashmir and urged everyone to visit the valley to experience its charm.

"It's my first time in Kashmir and I am planning to visit again soon. I witnessed snowfall for the first time in my life here and this is something you can't experience from photos or videos, you must visit here. Locals here are also very nice here. The staff, the cab drivers, they are all very nice and helpful and I believe Kashmiri food is also very exquisite,” she said.

"Kashmir is a hundred times better than what we had imagined, it's like we have come to heaven, and the people here are amazing, they are very cooperative also,” a tourist from Gujarat said.

Locals associated with the travel trade are expecting better business this winter as early snowfall has generated good “word of mouth” publicity for Kashmir as a destination.

“The festival holidays have become a good window for tourist arrivals. The feedback we have got from our guests makes us hopeful for a better winter season,” Shoaib Ali, a tour operator, said.