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Tourism makes mini-comeback in Kashmir, but calls for modesty may temper growth


Skift Take

Will it temper the badly needed tourism revival in Kashmir? Some say calls for modesty are just cultural and no different from other parts of India, some fear a turn towards radicalism.

In the past two years, there's been a change in Srinagar's landscape. Instead of military personnel, tourists walk along the Dal Lake promenade..The famed "shikaras" or houseboats dotting the lake have a more cheerful stride than usual. That's partly because a record 1.1 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2011, and this year's number is expected to rise to almost two million before the onset of winter.

So, a recent advisory asking tourists to comply with a dress code issued by an Islamist organisation, the Jamaat-I-Islami, has come as a shock to many.

Related: No room for any more tourists in Kashmir this summer

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