Author: Mufti Islah
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: October 18, 2011
URL: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/2011-kashmirs-best-tourism-season-in-25-years/193988-3.html
After three summers of strife, tourists this
summer flocked to the boathouses, shikaras and hotels in Kashmir. A recent
survey shows 2011 has been the best for its tourism industry in the past 25
years.
Official figures now show that airfare to
and from Srinagar has gone up. In July, a Delhi-Srinagar air ticket was sold
for Rs 23,000 as against a low of Rs 1500.
Flights to Srinagar doubled in the last few
months - from 11 to 23 a day including early morning and late night flights.
The number of rooms available has now doubled
from 18000 to 36000. And a new five star hotel and an 18-hole golf course
in Pahalgam have been added for high-end tourists.
The hotels and houseboats with fancy names
amidst the Dal lake are almost packed to the brim. There are long traffic
snarls on the boulevard every evening and eateries in Srinagar are busy with
tourists. Every one from shikarawallas to hotel and travel operators are smiling
at the tourist arrivals that are set to break a record.
Buoyed by the tourist influx, the tourism
department is demanding direct air connectivity from Southern India and South-East
Asia - specially for the winter months when skiing and snow games get underway.
Tourism Department Director Farooq Ahmad Shah
said, "There should be more flights from Bangalore to Srinagar or from
rest parts of country. Our domestic market is quite huge. Crores of people
in our country go for outing. Kashmir is always their dream destination. Better
connectivity will ensure good season."
Amidst the cheer, there's the sobering reality.
To re-emerge as a top tourist destination, Kashmir clearly needs more than
one good season.
