Kashmir has been experiencing a record-breaking year for tourism. It saw 1.2 lakh visitors arrive in February 2023, giving the industry’s stakeholders much-needed relief. The number of visitors visiting Kashmir in a single year reached a record 25 lakh last year, significantly more than the previous 40 years’ average.
Director of Tourism, Kashmir, Fazl-ul-Haseeb told India Today that more than 1.2 lakh people travelled to Kashmir in February and 90 per cent of them visited the famous Gulmarg ski resort in Kashmir.
SRINAGAR TULIP GARDEN
“Since last year, there has been a good influx of tourists, and we are optimistic that this trend will continue in the months to come. We have planned a variety of events in March and April in an effort to attract tourists, including Tulip Festival in Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar ” he said.
To increase the number of visitors, Haseeb said that they were developing a number of strategies and getting ready for the approaching tourist season. Also, some more varieties of tulips and other flowers have been added in Srinagar Tulip Garden, making it a prominent attraction for tourists.
BOOST IN KASHMIR TOURISM
Meanwhile, Gulmarag is still snow-covered and is packed with tourists. Indian singer Shanker Mahadev along with his family visited Gulmarag on Sunday and said “Kashmir is heaven on earth and being it is a different experience for me”
A top official from the Tourism Department said that 2022 had been the best year for Kashmir in terms of tourism. “It has greatly boosted Kashmir’s economy. Winter reservations were good. This year’s travel season is expected to be busy,” he added.
With the abolition of Article 370 in August 2019 and the two years of travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the J&K administration focused on reviving tourism, which is now showing effective results.
Authorities said that a total of 11 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in 2017 while just 8.5 lakh did in 2018.