Prospects ofadventuretravel and tourism in Kashmir

Travel and Tourism is the fastest growing industry in India. In Jammu and Kashmir, it is one of the most crucial sectors of the state economy. Being the largest service industry, tourism is a significant contributor to our state GDP, earns foreign exchange for the country, provides widespread employment, yields tax revenue, etc. This sector is also the backbone for allied sectors, like hospitality, civil aviation, and transport and the like. But sadly, till recent past, Adventure Tourism and Adventure Sports related activities were at a nascent stage in the valley of Kashmir. Most people here considered these activities as nothing more than daredevilry. There is no well-defined government policy or guidelines for adventure travel and tourism and, particularly in the pre-liberalization era, adventure sports equipment was extremely hard to come by. In spite of having a lot of adventure travel and tourism potential, no serious efforts were made to highlight it at the national or international level. However, with the passage of time, adventuresports and tourism has evolved to become an important segment of the travel and tourism industry. It has gained a lot of attention and is being perceived as a fastest growing segment with immense business potential and opportunities. The significance of Adventure Travel and Tourism and its Development is increasingly being realized. Sensing the importance of the sector, State government has started investing for its holistic development and promotion.