Thursday, April 13, 2023
Tourist rush has started pouring in the ski resort of Gulmarg in northern Kashmir with over 3 lakh arrivals already in the first quarter of the year. Given the recent surge, visitors are as excited about the idea of ushering in spring at the meadows as they were about winter ski holidays at the renowned ski resort in Baramulla district, around 50 km from Srinagar.
“The rush of domestic tourists is increasing; some 4,500-5,000 people visit the resort daily. Though local visitors are not much in number owing to Ramadan,” Hindustan Times quoted Gulmarg tourism assistant director Javaid ur Rehman as saying.
He added, “Compared to winter, our arrivals have doubled with 70% bookings at hotels.”
According to Rehman, 3.07 lakh visitors from various regions of the nation and 2,748 foreigners visited the famed resort between January 1 and March 31.
“In January, we recorded 95,989 tourist arrivals, 92,412 in February and 1.19 lakh in March. The first 10 days of April have already seen 45,000-50,000 arrivals,” he said.
Rehman noted that most arrivals in January and February covered skiing-enthusiasts, but was quick to add that the graph has not gone down post-winter.
“The snow in the meadow has melted, though we still have some at the Kongdori and Apharwat mountains, for which we use the first and second phases of Gondola cable car.”
In 2022, 26.73 lakh tourists visited Kashmir, the greatest number ever. A stunning 15.42 lakh of them made it to Gulmarg.
Riding high on the same, the Gulmarg Gondola, one of Asia’s tallest aerial tramways located deep in the Himalayas near the LoC, earned Rs 100 crore in yearly income in 2023, the most since its start in 1998.
The first phase of Gondola takes you to Kongdori at an elevation of 8,530 feet for Rs 740 per person, while the second phase takes you to Apharwat at an elevation of 12,293 feet for Rs 950 per person.
Rehman stated that the gondola tickets, which are available online at the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation website, are sold out till the end of April.
The cable car business has warned tourists not to fall prey to touts after police detained a guy early this week for selling bogus tickets to two tourists for double the amount.
“It has come to the notice of the management of the Cable Car Corporation that some of the tourists fall into the trap of touts and some miscreant elements regarding tickets of Gulmarg Gondola project…The tickets are available only through online mode on official website www.jammukashmircablecar.com and there is no other means to get the ticket of Gulmarg Gondola,” it said.
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