Kulgam, Feb 24: The Aharbal Winter Carnival 2024 commences on Saturday at the renowned tourist spot Aharbal in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district which witnessed a large number of people who throng the destination to witness the vibrant winter tourism and aims to promote Aharbal as a year-round tourist destination.
The event was jointly inaugurated by Chairperson, District Development Council Kulgam, Mohd Afzal Parrey, Deputy Inspector General (DIG South) Altaf Ahmad Khan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Athar Aamir Khan.
The carnival had fun snow activities like snow cricket, snow running, snow rugby, tug of war, snow volleyball, and other snow games. People from different parts of the district, including sports players and students, joined in in these games.
Besides, stalls featuring various departments including handicrafts and works by local artists, were set up for exhibition and attracted a large crowd.
DC Kulgam said that the Carnival aims to boost Aharbal as a tourist destination, and the administration is committed to promote this offbeat locale. This carnival is dedicated to furthering that goal.
He said, the aim is to celebrate winter and the tourism potential that Kulgam district offers. The district boasts numerous offbeat tourist destinations. He said, “on one side, we have stunning meadows like Chiranbal, Badibekh, and Kousarnag, and on the other side, we have Kund valley with beautiful landscapes. This district is amazing in terms of tourism potential.”
“Another aim of hosting the winter carnival is to showcase this place and invite more tourists, putting Kulgam on the world tourism map. Among the activities in this winter carnival was snow trekking, for which we had shared a Google form.
“Within a very short period of time, as many as 700 trekkers had registered for the trek on the four trekking routes. This was organized by the forest department, with SDRF deployment ensured. Moreover, promoting tourism not only helps generate revenue but also creates more jobs. Similarly, for Kulgam, tourism is going to be one of the major pillars of its economy.
“For this, we need better telecommunication, and for that, we have already set up many towers, with around 34 more in the pipeline. Moreover, hotels and homestays are being promoted, and we encourage individuals to register for homestays,” he added.
Shyra and her husband, visitors from Rajasthan told Rising Kashmir that they really loved Aharbal and its natural beauty.
“We believe that everyone should come here to see how amazing it is. It is our first visit here, and we felt lucky to have found Aharbal,” she said.
