Record 23L tourists visit Kashmir
A record 23 lakh tourists visited Kashmir Valley till October this year. The last time, the valley saw tourists in large numbers was in 2012 when about 13 lakh visited.
Of the 23 lakh tourists who visited Kashmir this year, 3.5 lakh were Amarnath Yatris (pilgrims). The highest grossing months were April when 2.8 lakh tourists visited, May with 3.75 lakh visitors and June with 3.4 lakh tourists. One of the major destinations this spring was the Tulip Garden on the banks of Dal Lake. The garden recorded an all-time high arrival of 3.5 lakh visitors since it was opened in 2007.
“Bookings for winter have been encouraging. We expect a bumper tourist season and could cross 25 lakh visitors by December-end. 2022 has been the best-ever year for us in terms of tourism. It has given a fillip to Kashmir’s economy in a big way,” says secretary, tourism, Sarmad Hafeez. “There has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Kashmir, which is an encouraging sign for the industry after many, many years,” he says. Around 13,000 foreigners had visited Kashmir till October this year.
After the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019 and two years of travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jammu and Kashmir administration focused on reviving tourism that is now showing results.
Only 8.5 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in 2018 and 11 lakh in 2017.For winter, Hafeez said activities such skiing and Khelo India Winter Games have been planned. “We are keeping tourist destinations open this winter. Earlier, many of them would close down with the season’s first snowfall in Sonmarg, Yousmarg and Dooudhpathri,” he says, adding that a ski lift had been installed at Sonmarg to boost winter tourism.
Traditional tourist spots of Gulmarg and Pahalgam were bustling with tourists this summer and are gearing up for winter tourism. Hotels in Gulmarg, an international skiing destination, have got more than usual bookings. Indian Association of Travel and Tourism Experts ( IATTE, J&K chapter) president Sheikh Mohammed Sultan says, “After December 15, Gulmarg hotels remain packed till March, while hotels in Pahalgam receive 40 to 50% advanced bookings. Early snow also boosts bookings.”
“This year, we are expecting a good number of foreigners, who look forward to skiing and other winter sports in the Valley. A national ski championship and some other tournaments are also slated to be held in Gulmarg this winter,” he said.