With high flow of tourist at the ski resort Gulmarg in north Kashmir, Cable Corporation had to stop providing Gondola tickets to tourists due to pre-bookings for the next two weeks.
An official from the Cable Corporation told Rising Kashmir that Gulamarg is witnessing the highest number of tourists, and every day around 3800 tourists are taking rides, which makes revenue of around 40-45 lakhs per day.
The officer said due to pre-booking, they have stopped providing gondola tickets to tourists for the next two weeks, adding that due to the heavy rush of tourists, this step has been taken.
Last year, the corporation said they had generated their highest ever revenue of Rs 100 crore from April 1, 2022, to March 13, 2023, which is more than double the amount of Rs 47.81 crore realized in 2021–22. “Gondola sales are touching 100 crores for the first time in history, and the same was mentioned in the budget speech in Parliament,” said Ghulam Jeelani Zargar, managing director of the J&K Cable Car Corporation.
Gulmarg (the Meadow of Flowers), is a cup-shaped valley with virgin peaks, dry curry powder snow, and expansive meadows, near to the Line of Control in the Pir Panjal mountain range in the western Himalayas, some 50 kilometers from Srinagar.
The gondola in Gulmarg includes two phases: the first phase costs Rs 740 per person to travel to Kongdori at an elevation of 8,530 feet, and the second phase costs Rs 950 to travel to Apharwat at an elevation of 12,293 feet.
The record-breaking year for tourism in Kashmir was in 2022, when a staggering 26.73 lakh people visited there.
15.42 lakh of them made it to Gulmarg, with the majority using the cable car. The number of visitors is more than twice as high as the previous peak of 12.99 lakh in 2016. In the recent fiscal year, 8.51 lakh tourists rode the gondola, according to Zargar.
The officer said a lot of effort has been made to achieve the milestone. “It was a big challenge to achieve this sales target as the tourists who visit Gulmarg need good accommodation, hospitality and a good infrastructure,” the officer added.
The government has also made an on-line ticketing process that has helped to increase the revenue and has also reduced the hassles of tourists acquiring the ticket for taking a ride.