As Global Hotspots Struggle, Kashmir Can Still Chart A Smarter Path

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
KO File Photo By Abid Bhat

By Dr. Saad Parvez

Some places are not meant to hold masses, but meaning. Kashmir is one of them. The question is no longer how to bring crowds, but how to welcome the right ones, in the right way.

Not long ago, you could still hear your thoughts in a Shikara. Now, the lake moves differently – restless, hurried – as if trying to keep up with the way we travel.

The solution doesn't lie in shutting doors. It lies in opening new ones, smartly. Technology, data, and community wisdom can help us rebuild tourism to serve both people and place.

Let's begin with crowd control. Imagine if entry to fragile sites like Gulmarg or Sonamarg worked like a timed ticket to a museum.

Read Also LG Orders Reopening of 16 Tourist Spots Shut Post Pahalgam Attack Srinagar's Trash Hills Are Rising. So Is the Stench.

A digital visitor management system could limit numbers based on real-time capacity. No more traffic chaos, no long queues, no pressure on fragile landscapes. Everyone gets their turn, and a better experience.

This isn't a fantasy. It's entirely doable. Pre-booking systems already work for major attractions around the world. Kashmir can adapt it to its own scale.

Add in GPS-based tools to help visitors avoid congested areas, and suddenly, tourism becomes smoother for everyone, especially locals, who feel overrun in their own towns.

Transport must change too. We cannot keep filling narrow roads with diesel vehicles. Let's replace taxis with electric shuttles. Let's bring in e-scooters in Srinagar. Why not run silent electric shikaras on Dal Lake?

In mountain zones, cable cars and ropeways can cut down on road travel, reduce emissions, and offer better views.

During winter, cities like Zermatt in Switzerland go car-free. In high season, parts of Kyoto shut down to vehicles. Kashmir deserves this kind of break.

Hotels and homestays are another weak link. Too many are built without regard for climate, waste, or water. The future lies in eco-lodges – solar-powered, locally built, and low impact.

Hotels should recycle water, cut plastic, and compost waste. We can even introduce a Kashmiri“Green Stay” certification. Tourists should be able to choose stays that match their values.

But what really defines Kashmir isn't infrastructure. It's its soul: its culture, its people, its way of life. That's what's at risk.

We must shift from passive sightseeing to active cultural exchange. Tourists should leave with more than selfies. They should leave with stories. Let them brush with a papier-mâché artist, cook with a local chef, or attend a Sufi night in an old shrine.

Technology can make this easier. Digital storytelling platforms can introduce Kashmir's history before people even arrive. Augmented reality can help reduce footfall at heritage sites. And virtual tours can give access without damage. It's about showing more while taking less.

We also need to listen to data. Right now, there's no reliable estimate of how many tourists Kashmir can sustainably host. That's dangerous. Without data, every policy is a guess.

AI and GIS tools can forecast footfall, map stress zones, and measure the impact on air, water, and forests. This isn't about tech for tech's sake. It's about building an early warning system, for nature, and for people.

Education is key. Tourists often don't know how their presence affects a place. They need to be shown, not scolded. Let's build tourist orientation centers at entry points like Srinagar Airport or Qazigund. These can offer short films, interactive maps, and a cup of kehwa to welcome and guide.

Simple mobile apps can also help. Push notifications in multiple languages can explain local customs, dress codes, and do's and don'ts in sensitive zones. A little information goes a long way in protecting sacred spaces.

And we don't have to look far to see what happens if we fail.

Thailand had to close its famous Phi Phi Islands to heal coral reefs destroyed by unregulated tourism. Venice is struggling under the weight of cruise ships and Airbnb rentals. Bali's water crisis is now worsened by unchecked construction. These are not warnings. They are blueprints for collapse.

Kashmir is already showing signs. Dal Lake is choking on untreated sewage and plastic waste. Once-tranquil spots like Pahalgam are now lined with parked cars. Shrinking meadows, polluted streams, and stressed locals are telling us: this can't go on.

There's also a deeper damage – the cultural one.

Tourism, when unchecked, turns identity into performance. Folk traditions become acts. Language is lost to convenience. Young people, exposed to hurried visitors with little understanding of the place, begin to trade heritage for imitation. What was sacred becomes staged.

We can't afford that. Not in a place like Kashmir.

So what's the alternative? Call it mindful tourism. Or better yet, meaningful tourism. Let's build a model rooted in respect, for the land, for its people, for its history. A model that creates jobs, but not at the cost of culture. That builds, but doesn't bulldoze.

We can start with“Sufi Tourism”, led by spiritual guides, not tour guides. Experiences that bring people into sacred spaces with humility, not haste.

Pair it with eco-tourism. Slow walks, forest stays, river clean-ups, farm-to-table food. Add community tourism, where locals lead, earn, and teach. Where outsiders come not just to consume, but to learn.

This is not anti-tourism. This is smart tourism.

Other regions have done it. Bhutan charges a daily fee to reduce tourist volume and increase value. Slovenia uses tech to control nature park visits. Japan offers deep, personal cultural experiences-tea, pottery, poetry-over mass sightseeing. They are not losing tourists. They are gaining better ones.

Kashmir can be a global model for this. We have the wisdom. We have the urgency. And we still have time.

The danger is real. But so is the opportunity. Let's not wait for a breakdown. Let's begin the build-up now.

Let's not forget, Kashmir is not just another destination. It is a civilizational space. A living story. A place where beauty is not in what's seen, but in how it's preserved.

And that preservation can begin with one smart step.

• The author is Director, Greenovator Incubation Foundation, NIT Srinagar.

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