Decked up in colourful upholstery and side frills, the shikaras (boats) at famous Dal Lake’s Ghat No. 15 is idle these days. Once sought after by honeymooners who wanted to enjoy the setting sun, snow-capped mountain ridges and the nip in the air, today they have no takers. Demonetisation move, just when Kashmir was emerging from a four-month-long unrest, has taken a toll on romance too.
Nazir Kalu, a shikarawalla, has hardly taken any couple around the lake recently. “Everything was ruined this year. First the unrest and now (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji has launched a pellet attack (a new lexicon emerging after the shotgun was introduced during the unrest, leaving more than 1,000 injured in the eyes) on romance,” said Mr. Kalu.
Nasir Shah, head of the Culture & Nature Expeditions travel company, claimed that demonetisation has reduced the winter tourism prospects by 60 per cent, affecting travel plans of yearend revellers and Valley-bound honeymooners.
“Demonetisation has prospective travellers and honeymooners queuing up outside the banks in the country. A honeymooning couple has to have hard cash in hand to enjoy themselves in smaller hill stations like Pahalgam and Gulmarg, pay for horse riding, shikara trips, snow-boarding and other entertainment. They don’t keep Point of Sale (PoS) machines available with them. If you can’t have fun on your honeymoon why would you come?” said Mr. Shah.
Against the footfall of two lakh tourists last winter, Mr. Shah said the ongoing bookings point towards less than 50,000 tourists arriving in the Valley this year.
Romance is not the only victim. Adventure tourism, mainly skiing and heli-skiing, has also been badly hit.
