Band of 10 from Europe struck by J&K's 'peace and serenity'

Ten tourists from Europe in J&K, some of whom had visited the region earlier during its years blighted by terrorism, have confessed to being struck by the “peace and serenity” now, more so when elections are underway.

Octogenarian Glenys Gem of UK first came to Kashmir Valley when she was 43. “We first came in 1980 and were captivated by Kashmir’s beauty. This time we have arrived with our group of ten, some from Switzerland, some from Luxembourg and the rest from Germany. We’ve all been struck by the peaceful atmosphere even though local assembly elections are on here. It’s been of added interest to witness campaigning with processions and no sign of any trouble at all,” Glenys, now 87, said.

For Mario and his wife Suzanne from Switzerland, there seems “a new settled feel here now, with local Kashmiris enjoying life with a new hope”.

Thiele and wife Werner from Germany had similar feelings about their trip this time. Between their many sightseeing rounds, they packed in a trip to watch the second phase of elections in Srinagar on Sept 25. “We have not seen such peaceful elections in Kashmir earlier. This land was always in bad news. But this time around, the situation has changed,” Thiele said.

Luxembourg’s Danielle and wife Nadine could not stop raving about the “serenity” of their Shikara (houseboat) rides on Srinagar’s Dal Lake .

For UK’s Glenys, the current visit presented a contrast with some of her earlier trips. “I have visited Kashmir several times, sometimes when it was enduring serious turmoil,” she recalled. This time, it was great to relive the great memories. “We had the good fortune to stay with the Wangnoo family on their beautifully comfortable Wangnoo Sheraton houseboats (on Dal Lake), then headed up by Sultan Wangnoo and now by his son Habib,” Glenys said.

All this was music to the ears of those connected to tourism, once J&K’s mainstay and an area on which the Centre has renewed its focus since the 2019 abrogation of J&K’s special status. The chorus reached a crescendo last week when the Union ministry of tourism declared Aru village in J&K’s Pahalgam one of the winners of Best Tourism Villages Competition, 2024. The honour was announced on World Tourism Day on Sept 27.

This year, the competition featured 991 villages from 30 states and Union territories; 36 villages won in various categories. Aru top-scored in adventure tourism, which includes a range of activities like trekking, skiing, and camping. Hoteliers from other parts of India have started investing in star hotels in Aru, many with local businessmen as partners, setting the stage for generation of jobs for J&K youths, said a senior tourism department official.