Gurez valley has witnessed a massive boost in tourism last year due to the incessant initiatives undertaken by the Indian Army and locals of Gurez as joint stake holders. Approx 15000 tourists visited Gurez last year as a result of these arduous initiatives as compared to a total of 300-400 tourists visiting Gurez in the year 2020. This major swell in the footfall of tourists in the valley after the pandemic has brought a new ray of hope in the lives of the unemployed youth and locals of Gurez as many of them have now taken up various avenues of self employment through tourism related activities. Promotion of tourism in this remote valley not only switches the mindset of the locals toward peace and prosperity but also acts as a catalyst to boost the socio-economic development of Gurez. Hence, it is pertinent that the joint initiatives undertaken last year be pursued vigorously lest it dwindles back to the nascent state.
First step in this direction would be towards developing sustainable growth of tourists in Gurez through an organic promotion strategy. Based on this strategy, an ‘Influencers Meet’ is being planned in Gurez from 13 to 18 April 2022 in which ten Social Media Influencers and Vloggers from different parts of the country including Kashmir are being invited for a five-day adventure trip to “Explore Gurez” through their lens and promote this pristine valley at a prodigious scale through creative contents such as Vlogs, reels and photographs. A detailed itinerary of the event is attached with the message.
This initiative will not only promote Gurez valley on a humongous scale but will also attract attention of tourists and investors from across the globe. It posses the potential of finally marking Gurez on the World tourism map and transforming lives of thousands of Gurezis yearning for a peaceful and prosperous life.