Tourism festival begins in the Valley

A nine day long Kashmir tourism festival began here on Saturday to attract tourists by showcasing the heritage, handicrafts, folk music, cultural programmes and other traditional activities of Kashmir.

The main purpose of this festival is to attract more tourists to the Valley because the climatic conditions there are extremely different from the plains in summer.

The festival will promote recreational activities like trekking, para-gliding, rafting, cycling, archery and canoeing and kayaking which tourists can experience in the state.

On the banks of the world famous Dal Lake, tourists and locals were also watching comedy and wrestling shows performed by local artists. Asra, a tourist said, "Kashmir is such a beautiful place and we are living in a houseboat on Dal Lake. This festival is a very good initiative in this beautiful place."

Another tourist Rajesh told ANI, "Such festivals should be encouraged because they are very attractive for kids. Parents and kids get a relief from their routine of the whole year. We will make sure we keep visiting here. This place is also very safe.