Srinagar, Mar 12 : The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department has initiated a phased process to convert Valley Guide licence holders into the Tourist Guide category in the ski resort of Gulmarg after a verification exercise uncovered long-pending irregularities in registrations.

The department has prepared a provisional list of 77 Valley Guide registration holders proposed for conversion and upgradation, enabling them to operate in the Gulmarg tourism area, subject to scrutiny, verification and fulfilment of prescribed requirements.
The move is being widely welcomed by tourism professionals in the region, who see it as a long-awaited step towards bringing greater transparency, regulation and accountability to guiding services in Gulmarg, where tourism forms the backbone of the local economy.
This reform was initiated by Assistant Director Tourism, Gulmarg, Tahir Mohi-Ud-Din Wani, who undertook a comprehensive verification exercise of registered service providers under the relevant provisions of the J&K Tourist Trade Act.
“During this exercise, the sector was found to be affected by long-pending irregularities, including registrations held in the names of deceased persons, government employees, and individuals holding multiple registrations simultaneously. These accumulated irregularities, resulting from years of administrative neglect, had left the tourism services sector in the Gulmarg region disorganised and had kept genuine aspirants in prolonged uncertainty,” officials said.
Rather than allowing the status quo to continue, Wani, under the overall patronage of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, initiated a systematic scrutiny and rationalisation of the existing registration records. In the process, ineligible registrations were identified and cancellation orders were issued in accordance with law.
It is against the vacancies thus created, specifically 77 slots arising on account of deaths and government employment in the Tourist Guide category, that the first batch of eligible Valley Guide licence holders has now been notified for conversion.
Officials said the present list has been prepared based on the prescribed eligibility parameters, including qualification, age, and experience, as available on the official record so as to ensure uniformity, administrative clarity, and fairness in the selection process, and to avoid any ambiguity or dispute in the determination of inter se eligibility.
For eligible licence holders who do not figure in this first list, the Assistant Director Tourism, Gulmarg, has clarified that subsequent lists shall follow in a phased manner, subject to vacancy availability and approval of the competent authority.
Applicants who have sought registration in the general Tourist Guide category have also been advised not to lose hope, as their case has likewise been submitted to the Directorate for consideration, and it is expected that vacancies may also be made available for them in due course, subject to approval.