Srinagar, Dec 17: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the government is exploring artificial snow generation technology to sustain skiing and winter tourism in Gulmarg, as the impact of climate change has sharply shortened the snow season in Kashmir.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the 17th Annual Convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) at SKICC Srinagar, CM Omar, as per the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said, \u201cIf I don\u2019t have snow, I can\u2019t sell Gulmarg. I can\u2019t sell glaciers for ice climbing if those glaciers melt. We see them receding before our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He recalled how the Thajwas glacier near Sonamarg has dramatically retreated within his lifetime, underscoring that climate change is no longer a distant concern but a visible crisis for the region\u2019s tourism economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Gulmarg were a private ski destination rather than government-supported, it might have ceased to exist today,\u201d Omar said. \u201cWe barely get snow for a month or a month and a half now, whereas we used to ski from December till March.\u201d<\/p>\n
To counter this, the CM said the government is actively considering the use of \u201cartificial snow-making systems\u201d to extend ski seasons. \u201cWe have sub-zero temperatures but lack precipitation. That\u2019s where new technology can help,\u201d he added, urging industry stakeholders to innovate for survival.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said the shrinking snow cover poses a challenge to J&K\u2019s traditional winter calendar and called for diversifying adventure offerings beyond skiing, including paragliding, whitewater rafting, mountaineering, trekking and hot air ballooning to position Jammu and Kashmir as a year-round adventure destination.<\/p>\n
He said the government has already trained a new batch of paragliding pilots and instructors and plans to expand aerial adventure activities in the near future. \u201cAdventure tourism opens doors to unexplored geographies, creating livelihoods and connecting communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Chief Minister further stressed the need for responsible and safe adventure tourism, remarking that \u201cadventure tourism is not another word for organised suicide. It\u2019s about excitement done responsibly, sustainably, and repeatably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauding ATOAI for framing national safety guidelines, Omar said the J&K government will work closely with the association to ensure that all adventure activities meet global safety standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year has tested us in ways not of our making, from Pahalgam to unseasonal rains and the Delhi blast, yet our tourism industry has shown remarkable resilience,\u201d he said, praising operators and stakeholders for \u201ckeeping the wheels turning in uncertain times\u201d.<\/p>\n
Reiterating his government\u2019s commitment to sustainability,\u00a0the CM\u00a0said, \u201cWe must protect the very landscapes people come to experience. If we don\u2019t act now, the adventure tourism we enjoy today might vanish before our children get to see it. Let\u2019s ensure we pass on not just memories but mountains, snow and rivers still alive.\u201d (KNO)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar, Dec 17: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the government is exploring artificial snow generation technology to sustain skiing and winter tourism in Gulmarg, as the impact of climate change has sharply shortened the snow season in Kashmir. Speaking at the 17th Annual Convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","category-kt-front"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7216,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214\/revisions\/7216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}