Kupwara is quickly becoming a popular new tourist destination, and almost four lakh people travelled there in 2017. The news was announced today (19 June) in Srinagar.
Due to the dearth of available lodging, the officials in the district have made an appeal to the locals living along the border of Keran and Karnah, asking them to open their homes to tourists in need of a place to stay.
According to the data found in official documents, the tourist industry in the Kupwara area had phenomenal growth during the years 2021-22 and 2022-23. According to the available records, the Kupwara area saw around 40,000 visitors between the years 2020 and 2021. During the previous fiscal year, 2022-23, the district saw 3,75,000 visitors, while during the current financial year, 2023-24, the district has seen a record-breaking 2,50,000 tourists. Of these 2,50,000 tourists, 30,000 travellers visited Teetwal by itself.
Officials have said that they anticipate between six and seven million visitors to visit the Kupwara area in this year alone. According to the authorities, in order to accommodate the increased number of tourists, “we must ensure that their stay is smooth, that proper sanitation and cleanliness are maintained, and that good food is provided for them.”
The Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, Doifode Sagar Dattatray, stated that they are making efforts to bring tourists who are headed to Srinagar to Kupwara and tourists who are headed to Kupwara to Tangdhar and Teetwal. This is because border areas such as Tangdhar,Teetwal, Kern, and Machil have tremendous tourism potential, particularly in the areas of border tourism, sightseeing, and adventure tourism.
The District of Columbia (DC) said that there was an immediate need to make rooms available in order to meet the growing demand for housing via the home-stay project. “The construction of more home-stays, paying guest accommodations, and small hotels in Tangdhar, Teetwal, and other places is the need of the hour so that tourists can find comfortable accommodation,” he added. “The need of the hour is to make accommodations more accessible for tourists.”
Doifode Sagar Dattatray advised the jobless young people of the area to make the most of the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and open up new horizons of self-employment for themselves. He also encouraged them to provide adequate accommodations for tourists. He said that loans up to the tune of Rs 10 lakh are being granted with a subsidy of 35 to 40 percent. “Soft loans are being given to the unemployed youth for starting their own ventures including up gradation and renovation of good home stay, small hotels and paying guest facilities,” he said. “These loans are being given to the unemployed youth for starting their own ventures including up gradation and renovation of good home stay, small hotels and paying guest facilities.” “The going rate for a room in a homestay can range anywhere from Rs 800 to Rs 1000 per night.”
The District of Columbia (DC) said that PRIs and residents are equal participants in the development of tourism. It is their responsibility to encourage people to build lodgings in the form of tiny hotels or to stay in people’s homes.By creating new opportunities for people to make a living in rural areas, this innovative plan to grow the home-stay industry will contribute to the improvement of conditions for rural residents. This will also result in a larger generation of income among those living in rural areas.
The promotion of local food, handicrafts, and culture via the utilisation of the home-stay and paying guest house concepts would result in an increase in job prospects for local citizens.The Deputy Commissioner said that the district government is dedicated to promoting tourism in regions that are bordered by another country.”Under NABARD, a total of 20.00 crores of rupees have been allocated to fund the construction of four different road projects in Karnah Sub division alone, all of which are intended to encourage border tourism.
In addition, the DC said that the district government is considering the possibility of building Karnah House close to Chowkibal or in any other location that would be acceptable, with the goal of providing a place for Karnah-based passengers to stay during the severe winter months. A solid DPR is now being drafted and will be accepted with any of the available options.
According to the DC, the DPR for the building of a shelter near to TP or Chowkibal is now being produced on the patterns of the NC Pass shelter. This shelter will be able to accommodate female and child travellers who get stranded as a result of the regular closure of Sadna pass during the winter months.
