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India’s Kashmir tourism push gets a boost with Miss World beauty pageant

  • India will host a month-long series of events for the annual international beauty pageant this year, with part of the schedule in the disputed region
  • New Delhi wants to promote tourism in Indian-administered Kashmir after revoking its limited autonomy and unleashing a massive crackdown

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Miss World 2022 Karolina Bielawska (right) and Miss World India 2022 Sini Shetty ride a boat on the Dal lake in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. Photo: Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department / AFP
Agence France-Presse
The Miss World beauty contest will be held in the disputed territory of Indian-administered Kashmir as part of a month-long series of events across India, organisers have said.
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Control of the Muslim-majority territory is split between India and Pakistan, both of whom claim it in full but administer separate portions, divided by the Line of Control.
For decades, an insurgency seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan – and military operations to crush that movement – have seen tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels killed.

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Kashmir villagers join government-backed civil militia to fight armed rebels

Kashmir villagers join government-backed civil militia to fight armed rebels

But India is now promoting tourism in the region – home to spectacular mountain scenery – and more than 1 million Indian citizens visited last year.

Miss World Organization chair Julia Morley said that India will host a month-long series of events for the annual international beauty pageant from November to December, with part of the schedule to be held in Kashmir.

“This is a blessed place for tourism,” Morley told reporters while on a visit to Srinagar on Monday, the region’s main city.

Competitors will take part in “talent showcases, sports challenges, and charitable initiatives” to shortlist participants before the grand finale in December, the organisation said.

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