It was in A.D. 1918 the Banihal  Cart Road was opened and the first motor vehicles entered the valley.  In the modern sense, Kashmir tourism began after World War I and has never looked back.  During the year 1988 about 7,50000  tourists visited this place. No wonder then that tourism has become an important industry, vital for the economy of the state. Vaishno Devi and Amarnath pilgrims help to earn large amounts for economy of the state. The peculiar attraction of the mountain-girt valley for the tourists is that it caters to every taste.  The valley, surcharged with an atmosphere of calm tranquility, provides a fertile field for study to geologists, botanists and archaeologists.  The angler finds  plenty of scope for his rod.  The sportsman finds ample game in the forests and along the verdant mountain sides.  Those interested in water sports and bathing enjoy themselves at the Dal, Nagin and other lakes.  There are also the mountain, resorts at various altitudes -  the upland meadows, called margs, sloping towards the magnificent snow capped Pirpanjal range on the west and towards the greater Himalayas on the east, perched at heights ranging between 2,000 m and 4,000 m above sea leve