Kashmir registers record 1.8L tourists in March, first time in a decade

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

For the first time in the past decade, around 1.8 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in the month of March alone, according to the figures available with the Kashmir tourism department.

The tourism department is expecting further increase in the tourist footfall in the next two months, when temperatures would soar across India. Besides, the annual Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended for two years due to the pandemic, will also begin on June 30 for a period of 43 days.

Tourism director G N Itoo said that in the month of March 2022, 1,79,970 tourists visited Kashmir, which is a record in the past 10 years. “This is a record number and we are expecting further increase in it. The credit for the record number of tourist arrivals goes to collective efforts of all the stakeholders,” he said.

Itoo said that the tourism department has recently started the first hot-air balloon ride for tourists and locals at Zabarwan Park, Srinagar, while it was planning to introduce paragliding facilities for tourists at all the major tourist destinations across Kashmir.

Tourism secretary Sarmad Hafeez said that a series of road shows 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 next two months which is a good sign,” he said.

He further said: “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.

Officials said that it was for the first time after Covid pandemic that a huge number of tourists were heading towards Kashmir.

“The government is also expecting record number of Amarnath pilgrims this year as the Yatra had remained suspended for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic,” they said.

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