Authorities say militancy related violence is on its lowest ebb ever since it started in 1989 when a simmering discontent against New Delhi turned into full blown armed rebellion.
This year, more than a million foreign and domestic tourists visited this scenic Himalayan region known for its lakes, meadows and shimmering streams.
But Abdullah said this could not be equated with peace as “the two possess different parameters”.
“The tourist flow is merely an economic activity and generation of substantial employment even for people without specialized skills and should be seen in that perspective only,” Abdullah told a seminar of Kashmir Hoteliers and Restaurant Associations in capital Srinagar on Tuesday.
Cautious
Tourism and economic activities are picking up in Kashmir valley after violence started declining in 2004 when India and Pakistan, both of which rule the region in parts, agreed to a peace process.
Though militant hold over Kashmir’s daily life has eased, authorities have been cautious to celebrate booming tourism seasons especially after militant attacks followed attempts in the past to link them with peace.
The tourism sector witnessed a new low after a few years of brisk business as two popular uprisings hit the region in 2008 – over transfer of forest land to a Hindu shrine – and in 2010 – over a series of killings of anti-India protesters.
Abdullah said a 79 percent increase in the arrival of tourists this year “does not mean that no problem has been left unsolved in the state”.
But he said his government has initiated capacity building and skill development programmes in tourism sector to alleviate growing unemployment among youth and to help them earn livelihood.
“Various incentives have been made available to the hotel industry, houseboat owners, taxi operators and others associated with tourism trade to help them grow and create additional comforts for visitors,” he told the hoteliers.
(Rakib Altaf/EK/Srinagar)
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