Identification of Tourist Potential Regions for  Balanced Tourism Development in Pahalgam  Tourist Destination of Kashmir Valley

Mohammad Imran Malik; Mohd Sultan Bhat

Volume : II, Issue : IV, April - 2013

Identification of Tourist Potential Regions for Balanced Tourism Development in Pahalgam Tourist Destination of Kashmir Valley

Mohammad Imran Malik, Mohd Sultan Bhat

Abstract :

Tourism has assumed an overwhelming importance as a component of mountain economies around the world. Pahalgam valley is the leading tourist destination of Kashmir as it receives about 70 percent of the total tourist flow to Kashmir. The tourist potential regions of Pahalgam have been identified on the basis of selected indicators and ranked on the basis of composite scores. Three oad tourist potential regions have been identified and demarcated using Geographical Information System (GIS). The study shows that there is large disparity in the provision of facilities and services within the different tourist potential regions. Tourist related activities are concentrated mainly in the Pahalgam bowl which poses a potential threat to the ecology of the site. The identification of tourist potential regions will not only help to explore the type of tourist attraction but also will guide to develop necessary tourist infrastructure on sustainable basis