Srinagar- The ongoing 6-day winter festival initiated by Vivanta by Taj, Srinagar that began on December 24, has been a major attraction among the tourists and locals alike, especially in the backdrop of the relative calm Kashmir has witnessed over the last few months prompting people from outside to visit the valley in large numbers.
The Christmas eve was an icing on the cake enabling the Himachal Pradesh chef Sumant to try something extraordinary. Christmas was just round-the-corner and I thought of a cuisine that would jell well with the festivities of the occasion, Sumant said. We got some turkey birds all the way for the United States and designed special brunch and dinner packages for our local and other guests from different parts of the country.
Basharat Rashid, Sales and Marketing Head, Vivanta by Taj, had a different reason to celebrate. Christmas is a trademark celebratory occasion for the brand Taj throughout the world and we were missing out on it because of the unforeseen circumstances here, he said. It gives a different feel altogether when you know youre a part of a global festival such as the Christmas.
The festivals, after all, teach us to live in absolute harmony with the global community, Basharat added.
Chef Sumant did not let anyone down. We ensured that the entire Christmas mood was delivered to each and every guest in their own rooms, Sumant said. Some 150 guests staying at our hotel relished some of the specially prepared Christmas puddings.
Elated over the number of tourists arriving in the valley, Basharat Rashid said early snowfall was a good omen for Kashmir. We were struggling with some hard times due to the dwindling number of tourists visiting Kashmir, Basharat said. Thankfully, the relative calm prevailing in the valley for some time now, has prompted more tourists to visit the valley.
Vivanta, he said, has been having a decent occupancy rate ever since peace in some form has returned to the valley. Hopefully, the winter festival kicked off by Vivanta acts as a harbinger of good times ahead, Basharat said. There are several such festivals up our sleeve ahead and we expect more tourists to visit in the future.
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