Signalling a revival of tourist activities despite the Covid-19 pandemic, director of Tourism, Dr G N Itoo said that 1.13 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir since December last year.
“We have seen 1.13 lakh tourist arrivals since December so far and the numbers are expected to rise in coming days,” Dr Itoo said.
Despite the health risk, tourists are flocking Kashmir Valley in thousands with Srinagar’s Dal Lake, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and other tourist places springing to life.
According to officials, the spike in tourist footfall is attributed to the ban on international travel, “We have managed the situation very well which has opened an opportunity for us. So we are inviting people here,” said Dr Itoo.
The boom in tourist activity has infused a breath of life into the tourism stakeholders including the hoteliers, most of whom say that their businesses are slowly recovering.
“It started in December. In hotel industry, people who lost their jobs and livelihood are getting their jobs back,” Mushtaq Chaya, chairman of the Hoteliers Association, told a news channel.
“But the way Covid is spreading in Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is having an impact on tourist arrivals,” he added. Over the last few days, bookings have been cancelled as well.
