After starting a $300 million Himachal Ski Village, the construction of which is in full swing, the Government of Himachal Pradesh is seriously considering another project for setting up of a second world class ski resort. Incidentally it is the local villagers themselves who have approached the Government for inviting outside developers for setting up of the second resort. In 2005 the Himachal Pradesh Government had cleared a multi-million dollar ski project to be developed by Alfred Ford, the great grandson of US automobile pioneer Henry Ford. Alfred Ford’s Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd plans to develop 700 five-star rooms, 300 chalets, a handicrafts village and a food court. A basement car park will hold 1,000 vehicles and a high-tech gondola will lift 500 passengers every hour to Sethan Dome, a vast high-altitude meadow above the hill resort of Manali, at an altitude of 14,000ft above sea level, which will give ski runs of more than 6 kilometers. The company says it will begin by holding international skiing tournaments and eventually would aim to host the winter Olympics. The promoters of the Village say the ski area will exceed that of the Trois Vallees in Alps and offer guaranteed high quality snow conditions from early December to end of March. The Ski Village has been designed by Jack Zehren, a Colorado-based architect who has also designed resorts like Vail, Aspen, and Beaver Creek. However, while the concept is American style ski village with food courts and brand name hotels, the look will be of a traditional Himachal village with Tibetan influences. Wood-and-stone houses with sloping slate roofs are being designed in keeping with traditional Himalayan architecture. The Project is being developed at the Northern end of the Kullu Valley, with the various facilities located at heights between 7,500 and 14,000 feet above sea level. The Project targets the domestic tourists of India, as well as international visitors from the U.S., Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Project in addition to the development of 700 Hotel rooms, 300 Chalets also involves setting up of restaurants along with an 'Indian Village' shopping experience; a 20,000 sq ft convention facility and a high end spa; and an entertainment/performing arts center. The Company expects to commence the presale of chalets and condo hotel rooms in early 2007. The first hotel is expected to be opened in 2009 and the resort will be available for full commercial operations by early 2011. With the initiation of measures exploring the possibility of a second world class ski resort, Himachal is on way to becoming the Ski Capital of the Himalaya. In addition to Winter Tourism, Himachal is going full steam ahead for developing Summer Tourism facilities. Already it is getting over-booked in summer as most of the domestic traffic, which used to go to Kashmir has been diverted there. Apart from Tourism, Himachal has done very well in horticulture especially Apples. They have been competing with many foreign sellers in the Middle East and Gulf Market.

In contrast to “Blooming Himachal”, Kashmir is deteriorating fast in every respect. It is a tragedy that Alfred Ford first visited Kashmir in early 2005 to explore the possibility of setting up a Himalayan Ski Resort. He met the then Tourism Minister and other officials but was cold shouldered. Failing to get some positive response, he next went to Himachal where a red carpet was laid for him. Every possible facility was extended to him. In the initial stages there was some resistance from the local villagers who thought that their mountain deities would be annoyed by this development. However, by understanding and persuasion, the Government was able to clear the fears of the local communities and the project is going in full swing. It is expected to be made operational in time. In fact, a Ski School to train the instructors and guides for the resort has already started functioning in Manali under the aegis of the Western Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. After Alfred Ford some more Resort Developers from France visited Kashmir in 2005 and again had a detailed interaction with the new Tourism Minister. In view of the receding snowline in Europe due to “Global Warming”, a large number of developers are looking for places in the Himalayan belt for setting up of ski resorts. However, again there was bungling and the whole project got politicized and blown out into a major controversy. Unfortunately every politician in Kashmir tries to get some capital out of any controversy regardless of its consequences on the normal life of the people. It is a pity that various political organizations claiming to represent people try to sabotage important development processes which they should rather be supporting and expediting. Instead of raising the emotions of the innocent people, they should be coming forth to force the Government to take the most appropriate and correct approach for the implementation of such projects. The Government itself had been going in a clumsy and non-serious way with such important development schemes. In the present Global scenario it is not possible to undertake such projects in a piecemeal fashion on ad hoc basis. One does need professional consultants and developers with sizeable and sufficient resources to undertake these projects on turnkey basis. The correct approach would have been for the Government itself to engage World renowned consultants as well as resort developers for setting up various facilities including accommodation on a turnkey basis, which could be auctioned to local entrepreneurs and hoteliers after completion as is being done in Himachal. Funding for such a project could have been obtained from a number of International Financial Institutions and from Promoters interested in such development. There should be no need to auction empty plots of land to locals or outsiders. Setting up of a couple of dozen un-coordinated development authorities headed by totally non-professional personnel without any expert knowledge of tourism development in every nook and corner of the state is not going to make Kashmir an international tourist destination. It is advisable to upgrade existing destinations and develop a few most attractive viable new resorts than to have mushrooming of sub-standard tourist spots all over the state. With the International Airport at Srinagar expected to be operational towards the end of the year and the gradual improvement in the overall situation it is imperative to take a review of the entire tourism scene in the state. In view of the fact that the authorities at the helm at present are more or less experts in tourism with their past stints in the field, one would expect a more practical and professional response in this sector so that Kashmir does not suffer by default while Himachal blooms. In the alternative we should halt all development in these environmentally fragile areas which have already been vandalized by earlier uncontrolled development, so that we at least leave some unspoilt environment to our future generations!