SRINAGAR: An early snowfall in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir has brought cheer to the tourists, who are enjoying the experience of a lifetime, being in the “paradise on earth”.The upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir received light to moderate snowfall from Sunday evening. The ski resort of Gulmarg also received snowfall and according to a MeT official, about 2 cm snow has accumulated in the ski resort.
The entire plains and upper reaches of Gulmarg were decked with snow, giving a picturesque and amazing look. For the tourists staying in Gulmarg, it was the experience of a lifetime as many of them had never seen snowfall before in their lives.
Amul Kumar from Pune, Maharashtra, said it is the first time he has seen live snow in his life. “The atmosphere is awesome. I am feeling good and I would urge the tourists from other parts of the country to visit Kashmir and enjoy the snowfall here”. A woman tourist from Bengaluru said they had come here to see the snowfall.
“It snowed in Gulmarg and I am seeing snowfall for the first time. It is the first of such an experience in my life and I am very excited. I have seen the snow in the pictures and movies but it is the first time that I am seeing snow with my naked eye. It is a unique and wonderful experience,” she said, adding, “This place is very picturesque and very beautiful”.
Another male tourist from Maharashtra said they came here two days ago and to their luck, it started snowing. “It was a very nice experience. Memory of this cold and this snow will remain with us throughout our lives. We enjoyed a lot here and people here are very hospitable. Everybody should come here,” he said.
The tourism stakeholders are hopeful that the early snowfall this season will lead to further increase in tourist footfalls in Kashmir. “Everybody is excited by the snowfall. They wait for the snowfall as it not only brings absolute joy to tourists, but also helps the livelihood of locals,” said a tourist guide, Arshad Bhat. “I believe it is a good omen and we hope tourists will flock to Gulmarg in large numbers this winter,” he said.
Joy and livelihood
As the upper reaches of J&K has been receiving light to moderate snowfall from Sunday evening, tourists from all over the counrty are overjoyed. For the tourists staying in Gulmarg, it was the experience of a lifetime as many of them had never seen snowfall in their lives before. The tourism stakeholders are hopeful that the early snowfall this season will lead to further increase in tourist footfalls in Kashmir. “Everybody waits for the snowfall to set in as it brings joy to tourists and livelihood for the locals,” said Arshad Bhat, a tourist guide.