If there’s one sector where we are witnessing a remarkable change post the abrogation of the Article 370, it has to be the tourism. Go anywhere in Kashmir, to any of the beautiful tourist resorts that are spread far and wide, it is likely that you will see tourists enjoying their time there. Be it Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Yusmarg, it is clear on the ground that the tourist activity has started picking up and the coming days promise to be even more exciting as the winter paves way for spring and then summer. But it is not the time to be complacent. The government must start innovative measures for the promotion of the tourism sector by involving social media and prominent players. Kashmir has immense potential to attract national and international tourists, and this must be tapped by the tourism department by making concerted efforts and developing unexplored places. Every tourist destination has its own strengths and all we need to do is to focus on involving local communities to create sustainable tourism. But there are some issues that the administration of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha must look into in order to give a boost to tourist activity. As Mr Sinha correctly pointed out the other day, tourism sector is getting back on track with increase in tourist influx in the UT. Tourist footfall has increased manifold in the last three months. Not just tourists but even the Bollywood has started coming back for shooting films in Kashmir which will go a long way in turning around the stagnant tourism economy of Kashmir. But this also puts more responsibility on the UT administration. Increased footfall of tourists makes these eco-sensitive tourist places vulnerable to pollution of all kinds. This is a challenge that the administration at large and the tourism development authorities in particular must take seriously. All efforts should be made to ensure that the environment at these tourist places is not impacted by the human activity. Often we see that these places are littered with all kinds of plastic waste such as chips wrappers, empty bottles, etc which can prove hazardous for them in the long run. By involving local community and stakeholders, the menace of pollution can be curbed to a large extent. A significant change has also taken place in the overall situation in Kashmir. Barring few incidences, Kashmir has seen relative calm over the past two years. It is time for all of us to come together and do our bit to revive Kashmir’s tourist economy.