Tourism boost in Indian Kashmir as violence ebbs

More than 700,000 tourists have visited Indian Kashmir so far this year, the highest number since an insurgency erupted against New Delhi's rule more than two decades ago, an official said. Police say violence is at its lowest level since the start of a separatist revolt in 1989. Before it erupted huge numbers used to visit the Himalayan state. "More than 700,000 tourists have visited Kashmir this year," a senior government tourism official told AFP, declining to be named. "This has been the best tourist season since the insurgency began in the state." Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each hold part of the disputed region and both claim it in full, although a slow-moving peace process is under way. The insurgency in Indian Kashmir has left more than 47,000 people dead according to the official count. Rights groups say the number of dead and missing totals at least 70,000. "With the return of peace and normalcy the tourism sector has started showing significant resurgence," Indian Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra told a tourism conference that wound up on Friday. He added that this year's visitors included 21,000 foreigners. In 1988, nearly a million tourists visited the region known as the "Switzerland of the East" for its snow-capped mountains, freshwater lakes and breathtaking landscapes. But their numbers dwindled after the revolt began. Visitors started returning in large numbers after nuclear-armed India and Pakistan launched a peace process in January 2004 to settle six decades of hostility sparked by their rival claims to Kashmir. A total of 500,000 tourists visited in 2008, before the troubles escalated. But massive anti-India unrest over the last two summers appeared to dash hopes of a recovery in the tourist trade as the flow of visitors dried up. More than 110 people were killed in 2010 alone, mostly in firing by security forces to quell violent protests. The number of visitors "to the valley this summer should serve as a loud message for change of travel advisories issued by various countries regarding Jammu and Kashmir," Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said. "Good days of tourism are returning." In July, Germany became the first country to change its travel advisory for its nationals to note that foreigners were not a "target" of militants in Indian Kashmir. The travel advisories of other foreign countries still urge their citizens not to travel to Indian Kashmir in light of the insurgency. "This year has been fantastic businesswise," said Tanveer Ahmed, a travel agency owner. "I really hope it stays like this." Abdullah urged tourist operators to also focus on adventure tourism. "Our mountains and rivers are great gifts of God and these offer unique and wide-ranging adventure interests for trekkers, mountaineers, river-rafters, skiers and others," he said.