Promoting Sustainable Tourism –The 'Kashmir Off Road' Story
Kashmir Off Road founders, Ali Sajid and Farah Zaidi, have been at the forefront of promoting adventure travel and sustainable tourism in the region of J&K.
Despite the challenges posed by the unsettling pandemic, this married duo has been tireless in their commitment to the cause.
“Mountains have been a source of wonder and inspiration for human societies and cultures since time immemorial. And for many rural mountain communities, tourism is a lifeline. Our fascination for these unique areas is partly based on their remoteness and inaccessibility. Driving down to such untouched places is just another level of attaining inner peace and satisfaction in today’s chaos,” says Ali Sajid.
These days, the elements that attract people to mountains – clean air, diverse landscapes, rich biodiversity, and unique cultures – are under threat, partly because of poorly managed and non-sustainable tourism. Travel to mountain areas, which already attracts up to 20 percent of global tourism, is increasing rapidly. It is therefore vital to work with this sector to develop and promote sustainable tourism practices.
“The world’s mountains have long attracted visitors for their scenic beauty, adventure and rich cultural heritage. We firmly believe that promoting tourism to such places can increase household incomes, enhance job opportunities and revitalize local traditions. Developing a year-round tourism destination in mountains can generate additional income, and is increasingly vital as the impacts of the climate crisis are reducing the lengths of the snow seasons. Mountains have much more to offer than snow sports in winter and hiking in summer. Archaeological, cultural and spiritual sites, picturesque villages, thermal baths, specialty products and gastronomy trails, and rare species of plants and animals all represent opportunities to diversify tourism,” adds Farah Zaidi.
As great travel enthusiast themselves, the couple strongly believes in exploring the untapped potential of this region while promoting sustainable tourism development that benefits the mountain environment, its people and local businesses.
“All travel activities are susceptible to temperature changes, blizzards, landslides and weather conditions. Some visitors may be complete novices, just interested in trying something different, while others may be more experienced and traveling solely for the purpose of engaging in one or more of these activities,” adds Ali.
“Our aim is not just to promote adventure motorsports and overland culture, but also to provide little skill-building and training to local people,” he explains.
“We actively endorse home-stays in rural remote areas, which not only help the visitors understand local culture, it can also improve infrastructure, provide community services and help diversify local economies. Employment and income can, in turn, improve the self-sufficiency and sustainability of mountain communities,” says Farah
While tourism can provide significant local employment, if not properly managed, this employment can be short-term and seasonal. Working conditions can be poor, and revenue can easily leak out of local economies to externally owned companies. However, well-managed tourism can play an important role in attracting revenue and supporting poverty alleviation.
Kashmir Off Road was established in 2017 and is one of its kind of IPs that was started to develop and promote motor-sport and overland travel in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. Kashmir Off Road has been trying to make a positive difference in the valley, and at the same time providing a platform for youngsters to take up the sport.
