Srinagar, Oct 25 (HS): Director Tourism Kashmir Syed Qamar Sajad said the participation of runners from India and abroad in the Kashmir Marathon will carry a message of peace and harmony to the world and help promote Kashmir as a tourist destination.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of the third edition of the marathon in Srinagar on Sunday, he said the runners, both foreign and national, will return as ambassadors of Kashmir tourism.

“There is so much beauty here that it is worth seeing and remembering for a lifetime,” he said. He described the Kashmir Marathon as “one of the best tracks of the world”, with views of Dal Lake, the Zabarwan hills and the Mughal gardens along the route. “It has its own speciality,” he said.

Sajad said the number of registrations this year is 2,136, more than in the previous two years, including 73 foreign participants from 12 countries. “I feel that foreign and national participation will send a message to the world that there is peace and harmony here,” he said.

He said marathon tourism is growing across the world, and that the Tourism Department has tried this year to take the Kashmir Marathon to a grand level. As a first step, he said, Kashmir has become a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

The director said he believes the passion for the Kashmir Marathon will keep growing and that there is great scope for developing the event. “The Kashmir Marathon is going to get more glory in the coming days,” he said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah flagged off the third edition of the marathon earlier on Sunday. Adviser to the chief minister Nasir Aslam Wani said a separate organising committee may be formed next month for the event, and that its promotion will be stepped up at the tourism department’s travel marts in other states and abroad.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat