Tourism makes mini-comeback in Kashmir, but calls for modesty may temper growth

In the past two years, there’s been a change in Srinagar’s landscape. Instead of military personnel, tourists walk along the Dal Lake promenade..The famed “shikaras” or houseboats dotting the lake have a more cheerful stride than usual. That’s partly because a record 1.1 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2011, and this year’s number is expected to rise to almost two million before the onset of winter.

So, a recent advisory asking tourists to comply with a dress code issued by an Islamist organisation, the Jamaat-I-Islami, has come as a shock to many.

Related: No room for any more tourists in Kashmir this summer