Muzaffar Hussain Baig, the Deputy Chief Minister holding the charge of Tourism Ministry, while inaugurating a two day workshop on Trans-Himalayan Tourism organised recently by the Business School of University of Jammu very courageously declared that until the climate of discord between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was there, the tourism sector in the state was bound to suffer. Terming tourism to be a very fragile activity, he said that a single explosion or few attacks result in the collapse of the whole industry. One has rarely come across such a forthright and honest statement been given by a politician. There are no two opinions about this basic premise that tourism is a peace time activity. No amount of publicity both on the domestic front and in foreign countries which the tourism department undertakes will motivate people to visit Kashmir with pleasure and satisfaction, unless the situation of conflict goes away. Kashmir had become the top most destination both for domestic and foreign tourism in mid eighties. One used to see large groups of American retirees numbering 150 or more on the house boats in Dal Lake. Kashmir was a must stopover on their global jaunts. It was impossible to get a room in high class hotels in Gulmarg in May and June because of the rush of golfers. Almost all hotels and huts in Pahalgam were full from May till end August. There had been some disruptions earlier due to Indo-Pak conflict in 1965 and 1971. During 1984 the Golden Temple episode also gave a temporary set back. The most significant trouble was the disruption of overland traffic from Europe because of troubles in Afghanistan and Iran. This route was completely choked. In spite of this the tourism had bounced back and in fact grown in numbers as well as in quality. The greatest boon had been the film shooting by dozens of teams from Bollywood both in summer and winter. The numbers were growing rapidly and the quality was top class. It had been expected that Kashmir would touch a million arrivals by 1990. Unfortunately, all plans went hay wire with the eruption of turmoil. For almost two decades, the tourism has stayed in virtual limbo. Going down and then up again with each violent episode. Even though the numbers have increased over last few years yet the quality has not improved. It has stuck mostly to budgeted travellers. The really paying up market tourists are still apprehensive and the Bollywood is tryingly shakily to come back. Muzaffar Baig during his discourse also mentioned about tourism acting as a tool to bring people together. This is the most important and relevant aspect of tourism which we have not fully exploited so far. Our aim has always been to portray tourism as an economic activity. The so called backbone of Kashmir’s economy! Tourism has a very important cultural and social aspect. On one hand excess of it can result in commercialisation as well as in debasing moral and social values. This has to be guarded by aiming at sustainable tourism. It also depends upon the strength of the basic fabric of a society. Some societies are historically strong and remain mostly unaffected by tourist onslaught. Some societies get swept off their feet. In any case, this aspect can be taken care of both by the trade itself and by the government regulatory authority. On the other hand there is a very positive effect of travel. This pertains to bringing together of peoples with their varied cultures. Such initiatives have a tremendous scope for bringing peace. It was only because of the demolition of the Berlin Wall that Europe witnessed such a historical transformation. In most of the conflict areas in the world the tensions have been lowered by allowing free travel. An institution promoting the objective of “Peace through Travel” exists but we have remained ignorant of that. The International Institute For Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) was founded in 1986, the UN International Year of Peace, with a view towards a travel and tourism industry response to the peaking of terrorism in 1985/'86 (much of it aimed at the travel industry); the growing tensions of East and West (in the early '80's); a deteriorating environment; and the growing gap of have and have not regions of the world.

Since it's founding in 1986, IIPT has brought together global leaders from all sectors of the travel and tourism industry, as well as the areas of culture, environment, and development. Three Global Conferences, Vancouver (1988), Montreal (1994), Glasgow (1999); and a series of smaller conferences, round tables, and seminars, provided the foundations for the First Global Summit on Peace through Tourism held in Amman, Jordan, November 2000. H.M. King Abdullah II was Royal Patron and American Express the Title Sponsor of the Summit which honoured the legacy of King Hussein as a Peace Maker and served as a demonstration of support for a continuation of the peace process in the Middle East and other regions of the world.

The mission statement of the Institute reproduced here is very relevant to our part of the world. “The International Institute For Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism initiatives which contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world. It is based on a vision of the world's largest industry, travel, and tourism - becoming the world's first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveller is potentially an "Ambassador for Peace. A primary goal of IIPT is to mobilize the travel and tourism industry as a leading force for poverty reduction.”

It would be ideal if the Tourism Authorities in Kashmir could give a thought to roping in the Institute for some programmes relevant to their mission statement in Kashmir. Sometime back a similar initiative had been taken by throwing open travel across line of control. This too was expected to bring peace through travel. However, the project has miserably failed to take off. With a new democratic set up on the other side professing ushering of peace and democracy, there is urgent need to pursue the initiative of peace through travel. Let us begin by starting the branches of the institute on two sides of Kashmir. Muzaffar Baig who is reputed to be a person of international standing with global exposure is ideally suited to take such an initiative. It would be a pioneering effort not only to bring peace to the troubled land but also to raise the standard of tourism infrastructure. All players of the tourism industry would definitely welcome such an initiative which may ultimately open the way to lasting peace!