Kashmir is attracting record tourists after the easing of pandemic restrictions and some improvement in the security situation, bolstering local businesses.
Tourist numbers this year are expected to hit a 10-year high after more than 340,000 tourists have arrived since January, local tour operators and government officials said, despite restrictions on foreign tourists.
“We are seeing the highest-ever tourist arrivals in Kashmir this year with 0.18 million tourists arriving in March alone,” Sarmad Hafeez, secretary of tourism for Jammu and Kashmir, told Reuters, adding that April arrivals could surpass March .
Along with horticulture and agriculture, tourism is an important industry for Kashmir, contributing about 7% to the economy, according to government data.
Kashmir, billing itself as ‘Paradise on Earth’, is home to Dal Lake, which centuries ago was a favorite for Mughal emperors escaping the summer heat of the plains of India. The lake’s famous houseboats are major attractions, along with the nearby Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia’s largest, and the region’s mountains and glaciers.
Hafeez said an advertising campaign in major Indian cities and the opening of new destinations attracted more tourists.
Boatman Wali Mohammad Bhat, 54, said he was out of work during the pandemic: “But now I earn 1,000 to 1,500 rupees ($13-$20) a day and we expect a good tourist season ahead.”
BOOKINGS IN ADVANCE
Many hoteliers and houseboat owners said tourists have booked rooms for weeks to come and the income helped them pay off some of their debts.
After a hiatus of years, hoteliers, taxi drivers and tour operators are doing well, said Ghulam Hassan Bhat, 75, a tour operator in Srinagar.
“Hotel room rates have increased by more than 30% from the pre-Covid period, and there is a huge rush for bookings,” he said.
The rush is so great that tour operators said they are having a hard time finding bookings for their customers as hotels are between 80% and 90% full and airfares have soared.
“Hotel rooms are not available in good locations,” said Pronab Sarkar, a New Delhi-based tour operator and former president of the Indian Tour Operators Association.
Many high-end tourists from wealthier Indian regions such as Gujarat, Delhi and Mumbai chose Kashmir over destinations in Europe due to the pandemic-related uncertainty.
“We have limited high-end accommodations and commercial transportation services here, which is a big challenge for us,” said Mohammad Yasin Tuman, Managing Partner of Mascot Travels.
But the tourists are not bothered by it.
Navdeep Singh and his wife Gurpreet Kaur came to Kashmir from Australia and said they were mesmerized by its beauty.
“I have traveled all over Europe, but this place is more beautiful. The people are warm and friendly and we haven’t seen any problems here,” he said.
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