Prior to 1989, hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the Indian side of Kashmir–known then as the Switzerland of the East–to trek through grasslands and forests and along glacier-fed streams and staggering peaks.

Then came the start of the separatist insurgency, and the saucer-shaped valley of fruit orchards and wildflowers saw fewer and fewer tourists each year, which further fueled the region’s poverty and violence.

But the Indian government announced this week that 2010 is “Visit Kashmir” year now that, thanks to the region’s peace process efforts that began in 2004, the security situation has so profoundly improved.

“We are optimistic that the decision will give a big boost to tourism and attract more and more foreign tourists,” Farooq Ahmed Shah, a state tourism official, tells The Associated Press.

Indian climbers have been scaling the peaks, which range from 9,800 feet to 26,246, for years. Now the world once again has its turn. The heavily militarized region borders not only Pakistan but China, and some 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed during the crackdown.

Opening the borders could be a major victory for the region’s civilians population, for whom a booming tourism industry could reap great rewards, both economically and in terms of local pride as the gorgeous region can once again reveal itself to those who love to wander.