-in the ternary of the visitors but it could not happen this year.
While the trade is focused on the arrivals, interestingly, it is not taking into account the local tourist who has money and is spending. It was the local tourist who sustained Gulmarg and Pahalgam at the peak of militancy when Kashmir was not a destination either for foreign or domestic tourist. It is this tourist that is now finding solace either on Mughal road or on Simthan top on the road between Islamabad and Kishtwar. Last week, this tourist was responsible for the six hour long traffic jam between Vail and Daksum and later in Pahalgam as well when some of the people failed to enter the town till 2 am in the night and returned home. While the policy makers are planning for future, they must keep in mind this element of the travelling class within Kashmir which spends more than the average backpacker.
Over To Amritsar
This loss has been colossal. Trade insiders suggest that almost two-third of the handicrafts that tourists purchased in Kashmir were the machine-made products from Punjab, mostly Amritsar. These included shawls, stoles and even machine-made carpets that come from China. “Most of these items would be thrown away by the user after they come to know that it is not a Kashmir product,” said Abdul Hamid Punjabi, president Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Immediately, we suffer three losses. Firstly, the Kashmir brand is hit which is a long-term loss. Secondly, our artisan is getting discouraged when he sees the machine has taken over and finally it is loss of a lot of money.”
The government handicrafts department has been making noises on this front but trade insiders say not much has changed. Many are suggesting that selling machine-made Amratsari material to tourists in Kashmir should be banned by law, which will actually discourage the fake handicrafts being sold in the name of Kashmir. Is anybody listening?
