SRINAGAR: A dearth of snowfall has led to empty ski resorts and holiday cancellations in the Indian Himalayas, with scientists tying the “unusual” winter to the El Nino weather phenomena.
The dry spell in Kashmir has prompted skiers to miss the famed resort of Gulmarg, one of the highest in the world, and left hotels in the beautiful region waiting for fresh falls to bring tourists to the panoramic views of snow-capped peaks.
According to scientists, the harsh winter weather in northern India this year—which included no snow in the mountains and intense cold made worse by dense fog in the plains—is unlike anything that has been experienced in the region in almost ten years.
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The 35-year-old snowboard instructor Farhat Naik of Gulmarg expressed his dismay at the sight of dry, bare ground where a knee-deep blanket of snow usually covered the area. “Fifty percent of the season is already gone,” he remarked.
“We are now hoping for snowfall in February first week,” he stated, adding that all of his American and European clients had canceled their vacations because of the absence of snow, which had a negative impact on the region’s economy, which is centered on tourism and agriculture.
Travel sector leaders from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, two nearby states, also voiced their complaints about cancellations.
According to Kushaal Sangwan, the proprietor of Blue Poppy Resort, reservations have decreased to 20% in the Uttarakhand ski resort of Auli. “People cancel (just) days before, and our cancellation rate has increased.”
