Hotels jam-packed as tourism deptt organizes week-long events
By: Ahmad Shabir
Srinagar, Dec 28: After two years of dismal tourism due to Covid-19 pandemic, the famed tourist spot, Pahalgam is witnessing a huge rush of tourists on the eve of New Year.
Most of the hotels with winter facilities remain fully occupied with tourists from different states of India ahead of New Year. Tourism department has decided to organise week-long New Year festival to welcome the tourists, visiting the spot.
The festival began on December 25 and will end on the night of December 31.
For last three days, the singers, musicians and dancers have been enthralling the guests at Pahalgam club.
According to tourism officials, all the hotels operating during the winters in Pahalgam are jam-packed for last several days.
“Pahalgam is packed. Tourists have been arriving in large numbers to celebrate the New Year. It is difficult to get a room in Pahalgam these days as almost all the hotels which remain operational during winter season at the spot are fully occupied,” Assistant Director Tourism, Pahalgam, Bilal Ahmad told Precious Kashmir.
He said that only A class and B class hotels are operational in Pahalgam during winters and all of them are packed ahead of new year.
“We have around 600 rooms available for winter accommodation. All of them are occupied. This year it has been a record rush of tourists both during summer and winter,” tourism officer said.
The week-long New Year celebration at the famed spot, the officer said, is aimed to welcome tourists intending to celebrate the occasion in the Valley and conveying a message that Kashmir is always ready to host the guests.
According to figures shared by the officials, 453340 tourists visited Pahalgam since January 2021. Among them 231637 are domestic tourists from different parts of India while as 222397 are locals. Officials put the number of foreign tourists having visited Pahalgam during this period at 306.
Locals associated with the tourism industry, however, said that the number is much higher than the official figure.
