Suhail Rather
Bandipora, July 14: Amid the pandemic which halted the tourism sector across the world, two Kashmiri students have floated a website aiming to promote tourism in remote Gurez valley of Kashmir.
The young students Shahid Bashir and Bilal Rafiq set-up the website www.gurezvalley.in to provide a free online platform to tourists to visit the remotest area of Kashmir. The website provides information about tourist spots, links to hotel bookings available, historical facts about Gurez Valley and other related information for the convenience of the tourists.
The website was inaugurated by Brigadier 109 Brigade – Ajay Singh in presence of SDPO Sheikh Adil, other senior Army, Police and civil officers.
The duo said there was no information available on the internet about Gurez valley except a passing reference. “We decided to provide a platform to the aspiring visitors to get complete information about the Gurez Valley before visiting the place so that they don’t face any problem,” they said.
Gurez is a valley located in the high Himalayas- The snow clad mountains, the blooming fresh buds, the golden meadows add to the mesmerizing beauty of nature about 86 kilometres from Bandipore and 123 kilometres from Srinagar in northern Kashmir and southern Gilgit-Baltistan.
The website provides information related to tourism, famous tourist spots of Gurez, trekking sites, religious places, hotel accommodations and contacts of important service providers. Apart from this, the website provides services like pick and drop service for tourists, bike rental service for tourists, horse riding, Tourist Guide and tracking Services. In the short span of time, the website has got appreciation on social media sites.
Shahid Bashir –one of the developers has completed his Master’s degree in English literature while Bilal Rafiq has completed his B.Tech. They said through the website, they are aiming to promote tourism in Gurez and attract them to visit the place besides removing many stereotypes attached to the valley that hinder visit of tourists.