The father of two usually earns good money during the four months when Gulmarg, in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region, is covered in a thick layer of fine powder snow. This season, however, has been a disaster. There was only light snowfall in late January and just one day of snow in December. "It has been a complete loss," said Bhat. "We have never seen such a situation in our lifetime."
Gulmarg is a picturesque town on the western edge of the Kashmir valley. Thousands of people work in the tourism industry, which accounts for 7% of Jammu and Kashmir's annual GDP, which was 2,279bn rupees ($27.4bn) in 2022-23. More than 2.25 million visitors were predicted to visit the region last year, according to the territory's lieutenant-governor, a figure that includes pilgrims as well as tourists.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 02, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 02, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
"Trail angels' The locals offering help and hope to weary hikers
Donna Barkley was weeks into walking New Zealand's longest hiking trail when her strength started to falter. Starting at the northern tip of the country in mid-October, the American hiker had trudged south along vast empty coastlines, over farmland and through dense forests thick with mud.
Community lifeline for millions displaced by civil war
Each day, bowls are set down on the ground in a line outside the community kitchen in Sururab, 40km north of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, for the 350 families who eat there.
Attempt to tackle 'shoebox housing' runs into trouble
Authorities are seeking to fix the problem of tiny, overcrowded housing but critics say new regulations fail to address the worst offenders
Persecuted social media activist on his lucky escape
As he trekked through the mountains on China's border with Laos, Lu Yuyu felt exhausted.
Sea level rise 'will overwhelm oil ports'
Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world's biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.
Great whales can live for well beyond 100 years - if we let them
Researchers have found that industrial hunting of these huge beasts has masked their ability to survive for centuries
Waiting game Kyiv urges dealmaker Trump to end Putin's war
A new year in Ukraine began in much the same way as the old one finished: with deadly Russian drone attacks across the country.
Fun, games laughter and - a 'snow-in' at Britain's highest pub
'Do you want a shot?\" asked Katy Sherrington from Durham, offering a tiny glass of a pink liquid. Nobody was going anywhere at this point, so it would be rude not to accept.
'We have proved we can do anything'
Women's rights campaigners forced to work for equality underground now hope they will get aseat atthe table
Social order in Gaza could soon collapse, warns Unrwa
Social order in Gaza is likely to collapse further if Israel goes ahead with its threat this month to end all cooperation with the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (Unrwa), Louise Wateridge, its senior emergency officer, has warned.