Kashmir: Valley saw 2.5 lakh tourists in first two months of 2023

SRINAGAR: With a record over 2.5 lakh tourists visiting Kashmir in the first two months of this year, the Director of Tourism Kashmir is hopeful that Kashmir will witness a record bumper tourism season this year as they are expecting two to three times more tourist inflow to the Valley this year as compared to the last year.

Director of Tourism Kashmir Faz Lul Haseeb said that the overall tourism scene in Kashmir is good and a record over 2.5 lakh tourists visited the Valley in the first two months. He said the ski-tourist resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was packed while hotels in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort, which used to be empty during winter, witnessed 70-80 per cent occupancy in the winter.

Haseeb said that all the tourism stakeholders in the Valley are upbeat about the tourist inflow and it is expected that tourist footfall will pick up with the onset of spring. He said if all goes well, the tourist footfall will be better than the last year. “Our effort is going in this direction and we are expecting a bumper tourist season this year. In fact, we are expecting two to three times more tourist inflow to the Valley this year as compared to last year,” he added. An all-time high of over 2.7 million tourists including 3.6 lakh Amarnath yatris visited Kashmir last year.

With the onset of spring, the tourism department plans to hold spring festivals at the tourist resort of Yousmarg in central Kashmir, Badamwaer in Srinagar, and many other places in the Valley. Asia’s largest Tulip garden in Srinagar spread over 30 hectares of land will be thrown open to the public by the end of this month. The flower carpet of 15 lakh tulips of different varieties of colours and fragrances unique to Kashmir will be attracting tourists. 

Director Tourism said they have already identified 75 offbeat tourist destinations in the Valley and each of these offbeat destinations is open.  “We are trying to ensure basic infrastructure through homestays and tented colonies at these places until hotels are constructed there.”

“We offer some of the best locations and best activities that tourists can indulge in. We want to keep tourists engaged at recreational sites. We are starting a weekly rock climbing event and it has been an instant hit. We will also be starting white water rafting and paragliding to add more attraction to the travellers visiting Valley,” he said. According to Haseeb, Kashmir has a lot of potential, and offers a lot to tourists, including rock climbing, hiking, camping, angling, trekking, exploration and skiing (in winter). “It has everything and it is a beautiful and picturesque place,” he added.

Asked whether foreign tourists are visiting Kashmir, he said, “Yes, of course. There were a significant number of arrivals of foreign tourists this year and last year too. We hope it will pick up further.” The tourism department is planning to tap the South East Asian and European markets by holding tourism roadshows there to sell Kashmir as a “safe and secure tourism destination.” The Bollywood filmmakers, Haseeb said, are also returning to Kashmir.

Blooming Season

• Over 2.5 lakh tourists visited the Valley between January and February this year
• Hotels in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and Gulmarg’s ski resorts were 70-80 per cent full during the winter
• More than 2.7 million tourists, including 3.6 lakh Amarnath yatris had visited Kashmir last year
• In the Valley, 75 offbeat tourist destinations have already been identified by the tourism department
• Several Bollywood filmmakers are returning to Kashmir
• The largest Tulip garden in Asia will be opened this later month in Srinagar