With north India virtually in the grip of a heatwave, the Central government has designated Kashmir Valley as one of the top 50 destinations in its ‘Cool Summers of India’ campaign – aiming to depressurise popular hotspots such as Shimla, Manali or Naintal.
According to MET Forecasts, temperatures in some parts of north India have already crossed 45 degrees C and are likely to breach the 50 degrees C barrier .
The tourism ministry has identified around 50 places in cooperation with various state governments and Union territories, and efforts are underway to actively market them as tourism attractions. Under the ‘Cool Summers of India' campaign.
The destinations being promoted are Patnitop, Simthantop, and Gurez Valley in Jammu and Kashmir as cool escapes from the hot plains.
The other choices are Bir Billing, Kinnaur, Dalhousie, and Tirthan in Himachal Pradesh; Auli in Uttarakhand; Wayanad in Kerala; Thenzawl in Mizoram; and Kurseong in West Bengal.
The government is focusing on lesser-known areas recognised for their crafts, culture, and food as part of this project. This effort also aims to decongest overloaded hill stations and manage visitor traffic in key destinations.
Local government officials and people in the tourism industry are appreciative of the Cool Summers of India campaign, expressing confidence in its ability to draw a large number of tourists to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to one of the representatives of the Kashmir tourism industry, “Kashmir is now experiencing an uninterrupted influx of vacationers.
“We expect the flow to continue for the remainder of the months and want to beat prior tourist records," he added.
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