Doodhpathri, February 02 (KNS): The Tourism Department is giving a boost to Doodhpathri as a winter destination. In this regard, the Directorate of Tourism Kashmir in collaboration with Budgam District administration and Doodhpathri Development Authority held a day long snow festival here today.
The festival saw the presence of a number of tourists, school children and local stakeholders.
Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Fazlul Haseeb, CEO, Doodhpathri Development Authority, officers of Tourism Department, district administration and allied Departments were present on the occasion.
The Department had held similar festivals during the last two years to attract winter tourists.
As an added attraction to make Doodhpathri as functional winter destination, the Department today launched ATVs and Snow mobiles in regular manner. Besides a ski hire shop, where all such equipment would be made available to the visitors on nominal rates, was also made functional today.
During today’s festival, snow activities like skiing, snow boarding, snow shoeing, Pony race, ATV race, snow mobile race, snow run, kabbadi, tug of war etc were held in which students from local schools participated.
The district administration had also as an added attraction hosted a job fair during which youth would be registered for various jobs and which was likely to boost the tourism and employment scenario in the District.
Speaking on the occasion, the Director Tourism, Kashmir, Fazlul Haseeb said the Department is giving boost to Doodhpathri as a winter destination. He said the destination has been kept open this winter to attract more tourists adding the introduction of various snow activities and operationalisation of ski hire shop today would be a game changer for the destination. He announced that the ski drag lift at the destination would be made functional by next summer which would make Doodhpathri as a prominent skiing resort. (KNS)