Residents of remote north Kashmir areas turning homes into homestays

Residents of remote north Kashmir areas turning homes into homestays

‘We have had to endure a lot over the last few decades and now we want to see happiness’

Baramulla: In an initiative that can generate employment for thousands of people, residents of border areas in northern Kashmir have now converted their homes into homestays to boost border tourism.
Trekkers, tourists, and locals have started thronging picturesque villages close to the LoC in Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. Decades-old closed tourist spots near LoC are now being visited by the locals almost after 30-years as the areas were under the shadow of guns for decades.
While picturesque Keran and Machhal are located along the LoC in Kupwara district, Gurez is a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains in Bandipora district and Uri town is located between the hills of Baramulla.
The locals of these areas said that they have converted their homes into homestays so that they can better manage the incoming tourists which will also provide employment to the local residents.
Shahnawaz Ahmad, a resident of Dawar area of Gurez, said that he had started the initiative last year by accommodating tourists in his house. He said that the government infrastructure here is not strong enough to accommodate all the tourists, which is why people living in the border areas should decorate their homes and welcome tourists.
Abdul Majeed, a resident of Karnah, said that it is true that many homes have been converted into hotels for tourists because “it’s our basic goal that more and more tourists should come to our areas so that our areas will come on the map of tourism.”
“The dreams of development and tourism that we have been dreaming of for decades are coming true now,” he said.
Uri’s Saleem lone also termed the tourism potential of his area as a last hope for employment. “We have had to endure a lot over the last few decades and now we want to see happiness,” he said, adding that the border areas now benefit only from tourism.
Qamar-un-Nisa, a student, said that their areas have changed a lot in the last two years in terms of development. Before that if we were to build any structure here but that it was quickly destroyed by shelling.
Meanwhile, officials said that the government has been organising various cultural events at the places like Gurez, Uri, Karnah, and Keran sector to attract more tourists. They said that there is a absolute change in the atmosphere and the security situation is better and the people want tourists to come and stay.
—KNO

 

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