Srinagar: For the first time in a decade, Kashmir witnessed the arrival of around 1.8 lakh tourists in March alone, as per the figures available with the Kashmir tourism department.
In the next two months, the tourism department is expecting more footfalls of tourists, as the temperature will increase across India. Moreover, the annual Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended for two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, will also begin on June 30 and will continue for a period of 43 days.
Tourism director G N Itoo said that March 2022, saw 1,79,970 tourists visiting Kashmir, which is a record in the past 10 years. “This is a record number and we are expecting a further increase in it. The credit for the record number of tourist arrivals goes to collective efforts of all the stakeholders,” he stated.
Itoo also stated that the tourism department has recently started the first hot-air balloon ride for tourists and locals at Zabarwan Park, Srinagar, besides, it was planning to introduce paragliding facilities for tourists at all major tourists destinations across Kashmir.
Tourism secretary Sarmad Hafeez stated that a series of roadshows were held in Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and other places to attract tourists to Kashmir. “This year, all the hotels and houseboats are booked for the major tourists destinations across Kashmir.”
He added, “We are expecting a further increase in the number of tourists in Kashmir in coming months.”
Our aim was to provide a unique experience to tourists visiting Kashmir. This year, while tourists visited The Tulip Garden, we had on a display the traditional Kashmiri cuisine, including wazwan and many varieties of Kashmiri bread. This was the added feature in the garden,” he said.
According to the officials, it was the first time after the Covid pandemic that a huge number of tourists were heading toward Kashmir.
“The government is also expecting a record number of Amarnath pilgrims this year as the Yatra had remained suspended for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic,” they said.