First ever hot-air balloon, para-gliding for tourists at major tourist spots to be major attraction for guests: Director Tourism; All hotels, houseboats booked for next two months; expecting increase in tourist footfall, offering tourists different things to enjoy their visit: Secretary Tourism Sarmad Hafeez
Pic©: Shakeel Rehman / Daily Excelsior
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, Apr 04 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir government has something really to cheer about as the March month of ensuing year has recorded 1.80 lakh tourist arrivals in Kashmir, first time in the past 10 years.
The Tourism department is expecting further increase in the tourist foot-fall in the next two-months, when temperatures would soar across India. Interestingly, the annual Amarnath Yatra will also begin on June 30 for a period of 43 days.
Talking exclusively to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Director Tourism Dr G N Itoo said that in the month of March 2022, 179970 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.
Dr Itoo said that the Tourism department has recently started the first hot-air balloon for tourists and locals at Zabarwan park, Srinagar while as it was planning to introduce para-gliding facilities for tourists at all the major tourist destinations and at the spots that suit para-gliding across Kashmir.
Secretary Tourism Sarmad Hafeez told KNO that a series of road shows were held in Bhubneshwar, 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, adding that the government is expecting a further increase in the number of tourists in Kashmir.
“Our aim was to provide a unique experience to tourists visiting Kashmir this year. This year, while tourists visited the Tulip garden, we had on a display the traditional Kashmiri food cuisine including wazwaan and various 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 remained suspended for 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic,” they said. Director General of Police J&K Dilbagh Singh recently told reporters’ inJammu that the number of Amarnath Yatris was going to be high this year as the pilgrimage remained suspended for two years. He also said that elaborate and fool-proof security arrangements will be put in place for smooth Yatra this year—(KNO)
