Tourists flock to Pakistan Kashmir valley in rare boom

[Areesh]

AFP - Success stories can be rare in Pakistan, but business is booming in one Kashmir tourist spot as the region rebuilds after a devastating earthquake and shrugs off associations with violence.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani tourists drawn to the lakes and glaciers of the Neelum valley are injecting desperately needed money into one of the poorest parts of the country.

Westerners stopped coming to the Himalayas of Pakistani-Kashmir years ago, put off by its reputation as a training ground for Islamist militant groups and the risk of sporadic conflict with India.

But with a new road built by the Chinese after the 2005 earthquake killed 73,000 people and a ceasefire holding with India, Pakistanis are discovering the snow-capped peaks, glaciers, lakes and lush-green meadows of the Neelum valley.

Known locally as "Paradise on Earth," the valley is 114 kilometres (70 miles) east of the base camp where gunmen shot dead American, Chinese, Lithuanian, Slovakian and Ukranian climbers in June.

It was the worst attack on foreigners in Pakistan for a decade, but in neighbouring Kashmir, few Pakistanis are worried.

"There is a bit of fear there, but overall we are enjoying ourselves and we will stay according to our plan," said Mohammad Amir, a lawyer on holiday with his family from southern Punjab.

Munazza Tariq, a university student from Karachi, agrees.

"This was carried out by enemies of Pakistan. After it happened, we received a lot of calls from our relatives from Karachi, but we are safe and enjoying ourselves," said Munazza.

Local tourism ministry official Shehla Waqar says 600,000 people visited Neelum last year compared to 130,000 in 2010, before the Chinese built a road linking the area to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

"There is an influx of tourists in the area because we have a very beautiful road from Muzaffarabad to the Neelum Valley," she said

The nearby Line of Control slices apart the Indian and Pakistani-held zones of the Himalayan region where a ceasefire has held since November 2003.

"This area is very peaceful and there is no fear of terrorism," said Waqar.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed in full by both sides.

Sporadic clashes killed six soldiers in January and February, but officials on both sides have kept tensions in check and Pakistan's newly elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has put improving relations with India at the cornerstone of his foreign policy.

By contrast, Taliban attacks in the northwest -- where mountain resorts have in the past sucked domestic tourism away from Kashmir -- and the impact of crippling power cuts pushing people towards balmier climes is also driving visitor numbers higher, Waqar said.

There are now 115 registered guest houses in the Neelum valley, local deputy commissioner Mohammad Farid told AFP, compared to none in 2010.

The authorities say they have stepped up security after the climbers were killed in Gilgit-Baltistan, but because tourists in Kashmir are Pakistani rather than foreign, they are not braced for a serious knock-on effect.

"We have strict instructions that all government and private guest houses are to close their main gates at 10 pm," Kashmir tourism minister Abdul Salam Butt told AFP.

"No doubt this incident has damaged international tourism in Pakistan, but it won't affect Kashmir because we host domestic tourists," he added.

Raja Zarat Khan, who owns a private guest house, said he was fully booked into the next week and he had no cancellations.

"I'm having a great season," he said.

Mohammad Awais, 44, runs a restaurant, a string of guest houses and now also takes tour groups to the Neelum Valley.

"This business has changed my life. Last year I did excellent trade because I gave tourists a lot of incentives: hiking, trekking, fishing, boating. The environment in Neelum Valley is very good. Once you enter the valley, no one wants to leave."

He also doesn't expect the Gilgit shootings to have a major impact.

"It hasn't made a big difference -- perhaps four to five percent because the elite class, who come here, feel insecure, but no one has cancelled any bookings. People are still coming," he said.

The boom is welcome in a region where many men have traditionally left behind their families to work in Pakistan's largest cities.

Awais has hired cleaners, cooks, drivers and tourist guides: all men who would otherwise be unemployed.

Suppliers have benefited. Villagers even sell their freshly grown cherries, apricots and plums to tourists.

But others warn that more needs to be done to sustain the boom across the rest of Pakistani-Kashmir.

Tourists flock to Pakistan Kashmir valley in rare boom - FRANCE 24

 

[SHAMK9]

Awesome news, Pakistan needs this now.

 

[Leader]

for foreigners one need to have a special permission from FM in islamabad

 

[A.Rafay]

Good news! Govt should provide Security and nessesary facilities to tourists.

 

[koolio]

Good news! Govt should provide Security and nessesary facilities to tourists.

It really is great news Neelum valley is definitely heaven on earth, the last time I visited there was back in 2008 and the neelum road was in very poor condition, Im sure this newly surfaced road has made a big impact and cut down travelling time does anyone have pics of the newly built neelum road by the chinese?

 

[Areesh]

It really is great news Neelum valley is definitely heaven on earth, the last time I visited there was back in 2008 and the neelum road was in very poor condition, Im sure this newly surfaced road has made a big impact and cut down travelling time does anyone have pics of the newly built neelum road by the chinese?

@aks18 might answer your question.

 

[aks18]

It really is great news Neelum valley is definitely heaven on earth, the last time I visited there was back in 2008 and the neelum road was in very poor condition, Im sure this newly surfaced road has made a big impact and cut down travelling time does anyone have pics of the newly built neelum road by the chinese?

Neelum Valley road is under construction cars can make up to Kel with careful drive but up to sharda u can easily go and feasibility is being made to connect neelum valley via Shounter Pass Tunnel to Astore or via Taobut ... road condition is normal they are constructing it making spill ways for the water of glacier streams which damages road with in 2 years road will be perfect up to Kel and taobut INSHA ALLAH

i have seen very few newly constructed patches of neelum valley Road i was lost in spell of beauty of this piece of heaven didnt noticed much about road

 

[aks18]

Tourists trend to neelum valleys is increasing with out any fear at every town entrance there is army check post i would say it is one of the most safest tourist spot even safer then Kaghan valley and people of kashmir are just awesum loved their hospitality i will surely visit it again after EID INSHA ALLAH i didnt felt un safe any where people were so cooperative and have no hunger of money like other tourists spots in pakistan like muree and kaghan valley .. hundreds of hotels are under construction there i wish people visiting neelum should respect the locals there and their traditions and culture and promote eco friendly tourism there never been to such lush green valley any where in pakistan

 

[krash]

My deepest fears are coming true.

 

[Armstrong]

My deepest fears are coming true.

Whatever do you mean ?

 

[krash]

Whatever do you mean ?

I will tell you a story and I'm sorry but I will rage:

You think Naran is beautiful now? You should've seen it before the road from Balakot to Naran was built (after the 05 quake destroyed most of the old dirt track). After they built the road, every fat *** tourist from Punjab and KPK decided to go to Naran (because there wasn't anything more left in Murree and the Galiyat to destroy). So hundreds of thousands of "tourists" started flowing in. The ill-begotten bastards had no respect for the locals or the area. Trash, littering everywhere. Moreover, the previously innocent locals got commercialized into hungry animals. Trees were chopped, ugly hotels were built, atrocious shops were built on the banks of the Saifulmalook, basically Naran was killed while these "tourists" danced on its corpse. And this didn't take many years to happen, it happened within a couple. I used to go there with my parents before the quake and then I went there in 2010, 2011 and 2012. I remembered the Naran when all it had were around a dozen small buildings with 2 small guest houses. People were nice and a cup of Tea didn't cost you 50 rupees. The Saifulmalook was untouched, pristine. Thick pine forests everywhere in the valley. You wouldn't meet an outsider for days on end. It was a place that you'd go and just get lost in. But today its swamped with morons. Morons whom I'd rather have shot than let them come to these places. So now what you see are fat ***, balding, uneducated, disrespectful spawns of swine who cram their Corolla 2Ds with there unbelievably ugly little brats while there wives sit in the front seat spitting orange seeds out the window. The locals on the other hand are blood thirsty vultures who can't help but steal you off of whatever little money that you have brought with yourself. Many non-locals move there during the summers to setup shops (in 2011 I found my dad's old driver operating a shabby restaurant there). The North-North-Eastern bank of Saifulmalook has absolutely no grass growing there because of the hundreds of jeeps that are parked there every day. This side also has dozens upon dozens of super ugly make-shift wooden and metal sheet shops built to serve a 100 rupee plate of pakoras to the "tourists". The remaining banks and the lake itself is overflowing with garbage. The thick pine forests are all but gone. Shogran is a joke, dont even get me started on it! Naran is being Murree-ized.

Neelum is an even more valuable treasure and now that the snorting pig-faced imbeciles from the south have sniffed it's scent they will come and ravage this heaven as well.

I'm sorry but I say this with utmost sincerity and seriousness: if you have no respect and regard for natural treasures then you have absolutely no right to have your disgusting gaze set on them. You've taken Murree and the Galyat and it would serve the world well if you kept yourself to them. Although, in all honesty, it would serve the world even better if you and your kin just seized to exist; lined up and shot through and through. I have once shoved a candy wrapper into a mans mouth for littering and I swear I will do it again. I have given up on educating you and now only demand that you keep the plague that you are to the places that you have already destroyed.

 

[koolio]

I totally agree with you Krash, Its sad that Kaghan valley has had massive deforestation by vested interests, while the provincial KPK government didn't take any initiatives to protect the Eco-wilderness of the valley. I hope the AJK government does utmost to protect the trees of Neelum valley. Biggest problem is a lack of awareness by the tourists who flock to these valleys, with absolutely no sense on how to respect the beauty, Just look at Switzerland and Banff in Canadian Rockies how clean the valleys are, with bins everywhere so you put your litter in the bins, in Pakistan there is no such thing.

 

[krash]

I totally agree with you Krash, Its sad that Kaghan valley has had massive deforestation by vested interests, while the provincial KPK government didn't take any initiatives to protect the Eco-wilderness of the valley. I hope the AJK government does utmost to protect the trees of Neelum valley. Biggest problem is a lack of awareness by the tourists who flock to these valleys, with absolutely no sense on how to respect the beauty, Just look at Switzerland and Banff in Canadian Rockies how clean the valleys are, with bins everywhere so you put your litter in the bins, in Pakistan there is no such thing.

I have more hope for the people of AJK but I don't know for sure how well equipped they are for this and that scares me. You know how Gilgit-Baltistan is kept clean? The dirt-poor, "uneducated" locals keep it that way. I've seen this with my own eyes; a southerner stumble's into Skardu. He throws away a tissue while climbing up the Skardu fort. A local walking behind him sees this, says nothing, quietly picks up the tissue and puts it in his pocket. Another time I went to climb up a mountain pass with one of my university's societies. Unwisely they had brought a few girls too (hey, who says no to more money...right?). After the first days climbing the girls couldn't take the altitude, so it was decided to send them back (After having wasted a days worth of climbing for us and absolutely shattering our hopes of reaching the pass. But that's another story). So early morning the third day the girls start descending while we start a double step push in futile hopes of reaching the top. Now one of the girls leaves her styrofoam mattress behind. Why? because she had been throwing up all over it the night before. When we reach back to the camp two days after we find the mattress neatly placed in one of the empty tents we left behind. Now we can't leave it there because it wont decompose in a million years and at the same time no one's willing to care it all the way back down. Except for our Balti chaperones. These guys take turns carrying the disgusting thing all the way back. Both these times I was embarrassed to the core. I mean these guys have no colleges or degrees and yet they are so socially and environmentally wise. What in hell is wrong with us morons? You won't ever see trash littered down mountain sides there, a sight which is more than common in the Galiyat.

This false sense of entitlement which spawns this gross arrogance towards the areas and its people needs to be fixed. These people need to be told outright that they have absolutely no damn right over these areas.

Anyway, I've been crying for too long. Here are some pics from the valley to make up for it:

 

[Areesh]

@krash

Then it is upto the people of AJK to looks after there places. They own them and should protect them at any cost. It is hard to expect tourists from other parts of Pakistan to behave like Insan ka bacha.

PS: I love those tiny wooden houses of Neelum valley. Have seen them mostly in Neelum velley.

 

[krash]

@krash

Then it is upto the people of AJK to looks after there places. They own them and should protect them at any cost. It is hard to expect tourists from other parts of Pakistan to behave like Insan ka bacha.

PS: I love those tiny wooden houses of Neelum valley. Have seen them mostly in Neelum velley.

Yar it's not that simple for the locals. See these people are dirt poor. Tourists start pouring in, their lives improve; they have more money etc, etc. Now this tourism becomes the lifeline for them and it's the last thing they want to lose. Then they want more tourists. This soon turns into greed and in result neglect for the area. Measures are taken aimed at increasing the inflow and forgetting the sanctity of the area. This keeps on exponentially increasing till the place becomes another Murree.

On the other hand the tourist is a jackass. The local does not demand that he take care of the place because 1) he's afraid to lose the tourist, 2) he only cares about the tourist's pockets. Since the tourist is a jackass he doesn't take care of the place. Would the locals keep the place clean? Maybe if they didn't have to spend on it. Would the government keep it clean? lol.....so down and down we go the sinkhole.


ps: I haven't seen these huts anywhere but there. They fit right in.