News Analysis India

Tag: Gulmarg

  • Love igloos? Gulmarg is the next destination

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  The Gulmarg tourist resort, which is known for its fascinating snow-covered slopes and skiing, has added the attraction of glass igloo and snow igloo cafes for the visitors this year, and a large number of tourists are visiting the tourist destination to cherish the unique and lifetime experience.

    A young Kashmiri hotelier Waseem Shah, the owner of Kalahoi Green Heights in Gulmarg, has set up six fiber glass igloo cafes measuring 12 sq ft each at two places in Gulmarg. “We took inspiration from Finnish Lapland and recreated the same glass igloo feel here. The glass igloos have been imported from Austria in consultation with our design team, who gave inputs on various factors like quality of snow, wind speeds, sunlight and temperature,” Waseem  added.

    Waseem has built three glass Igloo domes near his hotel in the snow-covered Gulmarg and three at the first phase of the Gondola Cable car project at Kangdoori. A large number of tourists and locals have been visiting the glass igloo daily since it was thrown open to the public on January 26. The glass igloo cafés offer the best views to the guests.  “It is a unique and wonderful experience for the tourists as they can view the snowfall through the glass igloo. The ambience is very nice. This is a lifetime experience,” said a tourist from Mumbai.

    The glass igloo can accommodate eight people at a given time. It can have one big or two small tables to accommodate eight people. “We are charging Rs 1,000 for one igloo for 45 minutes for the guests to enjoy the ambience and view the snow,” Waseem said. The glass igloo being a novel concept has become an instant hit.

    “Not only tourists but locals are eager to spend some time in the glass igloo for the wonderland experience,” Waseem said. Meanwhile, the snow igloo, 40 ft in height and 42 ft in width, made by Tariq Ahmed Lone in the space provided by Gulmarg Development Authority  in Gulmarg is also attracting tourists. In the snow igloo, which was made in one-and-a-half months, has a sitting space for 20 people.

    Describing it as the world’s biggest igloo, he said they are charging an entry fee of Rs 50 per head in the igloo. A tourist from Maharashtra said it was for the first time that he was seeing a snow igloo.  “The real-life Igloo is something different. It is an experience, which we will cherish for all life,” he added.

    Another tourist from Kolkata said that sitting, eating and taking pictures in a snow igloo is a lifetime experience.  “It is beautiful and its worth is much more because it has not been made of the machine but by the hard work of humans,” he added. The tourists in Gulmarg don’t miss visiting the two Igloos, clicking the memorable pictures and videos from their smartphones or digital cameras.

    SRINAGAR:  The Gulmarg tourist resort, which is known for its fascinating snow-covered slopes and skiing, has added the attraction of glass igloo and snow igloo cafes for the visitors this year, and a large number of tourists are visiting the tourist destination to cherish the unique and lifetime experience.

    A young Kashmiri hotelier Waseem Shah, the owner of Kalahoi Green Heights in Gulmarg, has set up six fiber glass igloo cafes measuring 12 sq ft each at two places in Gulmarg. “We took inspiration from Finnish Lapland and recreated the same glass igloo feel here. The glass igloos have been imported from Austria in consultation with our design team, who gave inputs on various factors like quality of snow, wind speeds, sunlight and temperature,” Waseem  added.

    Waseem has built three glass Igloo domes near his hotel in the snow-covered Gulmarg and three at the first phase of the Gondola Cable car project at Kangdoori. A large number of tourists and locals have been visiting the glass igloo daily since it was thrown open to the public on January 26. The glass igloo cafés offer the best views to the guests.  “It is a unique and wonderful experience for the tourists as they can view the snowfall through the glass igloo. The ambience is very nice. This is a lifetime experience,” said a tourist from Mumbai.

    The glass igloo can accommodate eight people at a given time. It can have one big or two small tables to accommodate eight people. “We are charging Rs 1,000 for one igloo for 45 minutes for the guests to enjoy the ambience and view the snow,” Waseem said. The glass igloo being a novel concept has become an instant hit.

    “Not only tourists but locals are eager to spend some time in the glass igloo for the wonderland experience,” Waseem said. Meanwhile, the snow igloo, 40 ft in height and 42 ft in width, made by Tariq Ahmed Lone in the space provided by Gulmarg Development Authority  in Gulmarg is also attracting tourists. In the snow igloo, which was made in one-and-a-half months, has a sitting space for 20 people.

    Describing it as the world’s biggest igloo, he said they are charging an entry fee of Rs 50 per head in the igloo. A tourist from Maharashtra said it was for the first time that he was seeing a snow igloo.  “The real-life Igloo is something different. It is an experience, which we will cherish for all life,” he added.

    Another tourist from Kolkata said that sitting, eating and taking pictures in a snow igloo is a lifetime experience.  “It is beautiful and its worth is much more because it has not been made of the machine but by the hard work of humans,” he added. The tourists in Gulmarg don’t miss visiting the two Igloos, clicking the memorable pictures and videos from their smartphones or digital cameras.

  • 1.62 crore tourists visited J-K this year so far, highest in 75 years: Official

    Tourist sites like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonamarg as well as all hotels and guesthouses in Srinagar experienced 100 percent occupancy, he said.

  • COVID: Gulmarg tourist destination out of bounds for local day-picnickers on weekends

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district Thursday imposed a ban on the entry of local day-picnickers in the tourist destination of Gulmarg during weekends to prevent the spread of coronavirus, officials said.

    “No local day-picnickers shall be allowed to enter tourist destination Gulmarg on weekend days (Saturday and Sunday),” Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Bhupinder Kumar said in an order issued in his capacity as the chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority.

    The order said that the curbs were being imposed under The Epidemic Diseases Act 1987 and Section 34 of National Disaster Management Act 2005 to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the tourist attraction city.

    According to the order, only tourists with confirmed pre-bookings of hotels, guesthouses or huts will be allowed to enter the tourist resort frequented by locals and visitors alike.

    Only vaccinated persons or those with negative COVID-19 test report not older than 48 hours will be allowed to enter, it added.

    The order also reiterated that anyone found roaming without mask will be fined Rs 1,000.

    Gulmarg is the third tourist destination after Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district put off-limits for local tourists during weekends.

    The state recorded 203 fresh cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of infected persons to 3,19,355, while one new death pushed the fatality toll to 4,361, officials said.

    Of the fresh cases, 74 were from the Jammu division and 129 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said.

    The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 42 cases, followed by 22 cases in Reasi district.

    No fresh case was reported from two districts and nine districts had new cases in single digits, they added.

    The number of active cases has dropped to 2,104 in the union territory.

    So far, 3,12,890 patients have recovered from the infection, the officials said.

    The death toll rose to 4,361 as one fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours.

    The officials said confirmed cases of mucormycosis (black fungus) in the union territory stood at 32 as no fresh case was reported since Wednesday evening.

  • Tourists return to Valley, Gulmarg hotels booked until end of April

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: It seems the good days are back again. Tourists are returning to the militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir. The Valley’s famed ski resort of Gulmarg is sold out, as all hotels are booked till the end of April.With heavy snowfall this year, the tourist resort of Gulmarg at an altitude of 8,000 feet has been a major attraction this winter and witnessed 100 per cent occupancy on Christmas and New Year eve.

    Mushtaq Shah, spokesman of Gulmarg Hoteliers Club, said all hotels are booked. “Over 900 hotel rooms including J&K Tourism Department huts in Gulmarg are booked till April-end. All classes of tourists including high-spending tourists and budget tourists are coming to Gulmarg,” he said. 

    Gulmarg was always a four-season destination but in the the last few years, it witnessed lesser footfall in the winters.  According to Shah, after the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg last year, the national skiers got first-hand information about the place and its beauty. “It sent a positive message and players and people realised that Gulmarg has got the infrastructure that is available in other parts of the world.” He said since people can’t visit foreign countries due to Covid-19, Indian travellers are coming to Gulmarg in bigger numbers.

    The second edition of Khelo India National Winter Games will be held in Gulmarg from February 26 to March 2 and hoteliers are hopeful it will be an additional boost for the tourism sector. “It sends a message that Kashmir is a safe tourist destination. And it had always been a cheaper option compared to other parts of the world,” said another hotelier.

    Director of Tourism Kashmir, GN Itoo said packed hotels is a positive development. “Gulmarg used to be a winter tourism destination and after snowfall, footfall to the ski resort would drop considerably. But due to Khelo India, publicity programmes and roadshows, Gulmarg is agian emerging as a favourite tourism destination,” he said.

  • Kashmir hoteliers slam order to host Khelo India participants after cancelling Gulmarg bookings

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Tour and travel operators in Kashmir have hit out at the government for ordering cancellation of bookings in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg to accommodate participants and officials of the Khelo India National Winter Games.

    Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) president Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo said the order to cancel pre-booking in Gulmarg hotels is “insanity” on the part of the government.

    The government is hosting the week long Khelo India national winter games at Gulmarg from February 25 and asked hoteliers in Gulmarg to cancel bookings from Feb 25-March 3.

    The Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla in a letter to SDM Gulmarg has asked him to ensure that boarding and lodging facilities are provided to the athletes and officials during the Feb 25-March event.

    “Further, all pre-bookings, if any, on this account may be cancelled,” the letter read.

    TAAK president said the tour operators had made the bookings in the Gulmarg hotels a few months back. “And now how are we going to convince the tourists that they cannot stay in Gulmarg hotels despite the fact that Gulmarg is in the limelight and everybody wants to visit the place.”

    Farooq said he is still unable to understand the government move. “They are all of a sudden telling us to cancel all the bookings for the Khelo India event.”

    He said it is definitely going to have a serious impact on the efforts in promoting tourism in Kashmir. “It will send a very bad message,” he said.

    “On the one hand, they say Khelo India will promote Kashmir tourism but on the other hand, we have to cancel hundreds of bookings and what will people think of us,” he added.

    TAAI Kashmir chapter president Zahoor Ahmad Qari said the tour operators are facing a tough time due to pre-booking cancellations at Gulmarg.

    If the government had to host the event, he said, they should have given prior information to the hoteliers and told them not to book rooms on specific dates. “This event was not finalized in a day. It is good that Khelo India winter games are being held here but the government should have informed the tourism stakeholders so that the tour operators could not have taken bookings on the specific date. Then we would not have been in the awkward situation which we are at present,” he said.

    Qari said the tour operators are in despair and don’t know how they are going to face people outside during the road shows and travel marts.

  • Igloo cafe made of ice is Gulmarg’s hot destination   

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Want to enjoy a meal, snack or hot drink sitting inside an igloo? If you are in Gulmarg and willing to spend a few bucks, this may become a reality. India’s first-ever igloo café has come up in the famous ski resort, which is presently blanketed by snow. From tables to chairs, everything inside is made of ice, and the cafe with four tables can accommodate 16 customers at a time.

    It is the brainchild of hotelier Syed Waseem Shah, owner of the Kolahoi Green Heights in Gulmarg. Talking to this newspaper, Waseem said he got the idea while visiting Europe a few years back. “I saw igloo cafes there and was impressed by them. These cafes add to the attraction of Europe in winter.” After the heavy snowfall this winter, Waseem decided to give shape to his idea a few weeks back.

    “I hired 20 workers and they worked for 15 days to complete the work. It needs continuous maintenance.” The place with a diameter of 22 feet is 13 feet high. The walls are 21 inches thick. The café has received good response from the locals as well as tourists. People are clicking selfies and shooting videos of the interiors made entirely of ice. Waseem added that they have not used anything artificial like wood or plastic. To keep things warm, they have placed animal hide on the chairs.

    “We also give hot water bottles and blankets to the customers.” Temperature inside the café is 10-12 degrees more than what it is outside. “If outside it is -5, it will be 5-7 degrees inside the igloo. Snow itself is an insulator and keeps it warm inside.” Waseem claims this is the biggest igloo cafe in Asia. “I have approached Limca Book of Records. They have sought details and accepted my entry.” He hopes to set a world record next year.