Srinagar, Jul 17: A group of motor enthusiasts on Friday kick-started a three-day expedition of tourist spots in Kashmir for a cause: to promote the Valley as a safe destination for high-end luxury tourism.
The group of around 40 motorists, who hailed from outside Kashmir, will drive to Sonmarg on Friday, Pahalgam on Saturday and Gulmarg on Sunday.
“We would cover three destinations on three consecutive days. Every night, we will camp in one place,” said Nitin Kabir, who led the group.
“The idea is to promote Kashmir as an ultra-luxury tourism destination as well. These are highly expensive cars. There must be Rs 50 crore worth of sports cars alone,” he told PTI.
Kabir said the group wants to send out a message that Kashmir is safe. “We are asking people to come here, that there is no problem. People are coming, they are trying.”
He said the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, was a major setback for Kashmir’s tourism industry.
“After the Pahalgam attack, tourism obviously went down in the Valley. The incident was a very strong reason why people were not coming here,” he pointed out.
This is the group’s second effort to promote high-end tourism in Kashmir. “We did this once before in 2022, and now we’re doing it again. These efforts will continue,” he said.
Kabir said the other motorists have come to Kashmir as “they have faith in me, in the tourism department, the government, the security authorities and the police. We’ve taken all the permissions, and we’re moving ahead accordingly,” he added.
The group chooses a different destination every year, he explained, adding that this year they zeroed in on Kashmir.
“I think events like this will help tourism grow quite a bit. When people see videos of such events, it could make them think that if we can do it, they can do it too. They will at least try to visit the Valley,” he added. ( PTI )
