Jammu and Kashmir, which was visited by a record number of over 1.3 million domestic and foreign tourists in 2011 following almost return of peace in the hinterland and significant improvement in security situation elsewhere, is hoping to host bigger number of guests in 2012.
The upward trend led to Kashmir being voted as most-popular Indian travel destination in 2011.
The optimism is seen by many tour operators and other correlated traders rather as realism for several top hotels, mainly in Srinagar, health resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg, and many luxury boathouses on Dal and Nagin lakes, the most romantic experiences ever in the summer capital, have sold for the months of April and May besides having “encouraging” booking for the remaining (June-August) tourist season. The end of June or early July will also see the commencement of the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath. In 2011, as many as 635,000 devotees turned up at the cave-shrine in Pahalgam mountains, beating all previous records.
Various airlines which raised tariff on the Srinagar sector by two to three hundred per cent to make a fast buck while tackling head on the heavy rush during the closure of vital Srinagar-Jammu highway in the aftermath of heavy snowfalls in January are hopeful of the profit season returning soon with the beginning of 2012 tourist season. Already, major private airlines besides Air India are projecting April-June as probable cost-effective bout.
“We’re expecting a good number of tourists to visit the Valley in coming months. April-June is likely to be the watershed,” said Nazir A. Bakshi, one of the leading tour operators of the Valley.
Mr Bakshi added, “We’re gearing up to play worthy hosts.”