SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to keep open doors of all hotels and restaurants across the valley, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Sonamarg, as all these three tourist destinations receive huge snowfall in winters, thus making a merry for tourists to enjoy the climate. With 1.62 crore tourists having visited J&K since January 2022 to present date, the tourist footfall in Union territory this year is highest ever recorded in history of J&K. Tourism department and all hotels, restaurants and cafes, all across the Kashmir valley are bracing up for winter tourism and are expecting huge tourists in winters. Sonamarg hosted its first ever ‘Snow Shoe’ event with local athletes competing in the invitational Snow Shoe run conducted by J&K Snow Shoe Association, with an aim to promote Sonamarg as winter sports destination. Local young people, who are associated with tourism industry, seem very optimistic and confident for offering exclusive online services or corporate information to visitors. Tour and travels Associations are very keen to get maximum numbers of tourists during winter season as top national tour operators from Delhi, Maharashtra, Pune, Surat, Gujarat, Jaipur, Bangalore had already visited Kashmir. As per a tour and travel operator from Srinagar, “Tourist flow was good as compared to other years in autumn season in Kashmir. As winter is approaching, huge foreign and domestic tourists are expected in Valley especially in Gulmarg, where winter games are scheduled and for which booking has already started in hotels. If snowfall will happen in full swing at Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg etc, it will attract more tourists,” he added.
The beautiful sanctuaries of Jammu & Kashmir reward nature seeker with views of diverse topography as well as the rarest species of wildlife. All the three top tourist destinations viz Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg are the perfect choice for every tourist to cherish cold of winter and enjoy snowfall besides feeling real fragrance of ‘Paradise on Earth’.
