A four-day Leh festival organized by the Department of Tourism, Kashmir began here today in which hundreds of the locals and the tourists participated.On the inaugural day today, the festival began with a march from DC office to Leh Stadium, which is the main venue of the event.The artists and the locals from many places including Kargil town, Dahanu Village, Zanasark, Nubra and other places showcased their culture and tradition through various dance performances which mesmerized the spectators. Some traditional sports activities like polo and archery were also held.Hundreds of the tourists including foreigners witnessed the inaugural ceremony and enjoyed the cultural shows.Director Tourism Kashmir, Mahmood A Shah highlighted the efforts of the department in harnessing the tourism potential of the Ladakh region.He said the 4-day festival is being organized in order to prolong the tourist season in Ladakh.He said the tourist arrivals in the lean month of September start to decrease due to the cold conditions which need to be picked up by organizing such activities.“We want tourist arrivals in September to pick up for which we are organizing this 4-day festival. Tourists will time up their visits to Leh on this festival which will help us get arrivals in this month. The festival provides an opportunity to present the unique culture of the region,” said the Director.The Director Tourism also highlighted the role of Directorate in promoting tourism sector and service providers.He said incentives have been given to the tourism industry for the construction of hotels, guest houses and paying guest houses.“The incentive schemes have helped locals set up accommodation even in the remote areas in the form of paying guest houses.”14 Corps Commander Lt Gen SK Upadhyay, who was the chief guest on the occasion, in his address welcomed the locals and the tourists. Later, a painting and art exhibition was also held.Additional DC Leh, M Kunzil presented the vote of thanks. The concerned officers from other Departments were also present on the occasion.