Ever since Srinagar’s famous gardens reopened last month, tourist arrivals have seen a sharp rise in picturesque Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
According to J&K tourism officials, March 2022 broke the 10-year tourist arrival record in Kashmir, signaling that Kashmir’s tourism industry is finally on the path to recovery.
Director Tourism Kashmir G.N. Itoo said that the department has started promoting all the seasons in Kashmir. Itoo added that this is the first time that the spring season is being promoted in Kashmir.
Data show that 1,62,664 domestic travelers and 490 foreigners visited the Kashmir Valley in January and February. During the first three months of 2022, more than 3 lakh tourists arrived in Kashmir to enjoy the snow in Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam followed by spring tourism around Srinagar’s Dal Lake. Officials add that Kashmir’s Tulip Garden at the foothills of the Zabarwan range in Srinagar had received 2 lakh visitors within 10 days of opening for the season.
According to the Union tourism ministry, 1.42 lakh tourists had visited J&K during February alone, breaking the seven-year record.
Currently, 80-90 percent of high-end hotels are occupied in Srinagar, said Abdul Wahid Malik, President, Kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Owners Federation.
Amid the tourist influx, the Srinagar International Airport has registered record flight operations. For example, on March 28, Srinagar airport operated 90 incoming and outgoing flights which ferried more than 15,014 visitors, the most so far in the airport’s history. (Source: moneycontrol.com)
