Kashmir revives water sports to boost tourism

Kashmir is seeing a revival of water sports as authorities take steps to promote adventure tourism in the region.

Srinagar, Sept. 1 : Kashmir is seeing a revival of water sports as authorities take steps to promote adventure tourism in the region.

The Jammu and Kashmir's Tourism Department has re-opened the Nageen Lake as part of its efforts to promote water sports in the region and draw tourists from across the globe.

The department has ordered two high-speed motor boats and three rafts at present, and is providing facilities for kayaking, water skiing, rafting andarasailing.

"Nageen house boats are well known and people from all over the world would like to come and enjoy water sports facilities. This sports club was shut for quite some time and the department of tourism has taken the initiative to revive it. This will become a major attraction for tourists in the coming days,' said Sarmad Hafeez, Joint Director Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir.

Gustard, a tourist, said the location was perfect for boating activities and it held great international potential.

"Kayaking and canoeing is the number one sports. We like them very much because of what I have seen here. Actually, I can see a potential for the International arena," he said.

Canon, another tourist, said: "It is a convenient and a nice place to do sports, so it can bring many tourists here."

Jammu and Kashmir has got the privilege of both land adventure like trekking, mountaineering, skiing and facilities for aero-sports like paragliding andot-air ballooning.

According to state officials, tourist arrivals during the current season were only forty percent.

Tourism had returned in force to Kashmir in 2005 when 600,000 tourists, most of them Indians, visited the state. But the numbers dropped off again last year after a series of attacks on tourists.

ANI