Srinagar- With Christmas and New Year only a few weeks away, hotels in Gulmarg are fully booked, bringing joy to hoteliers, tour operators, and others in the tourism industry. Meanwhile, over 50 percent of the hotels in Sonamarg have already been reserved, and hoteliers anticipate a significant tourist influx in the coming days.
A number of hoteliers told Kashmir Observer that almost all hotels in Gulmarg are sold out from December 15th until the end of the year. “We are expecting a good winter tourism season. Almost all the hotels in Gulmarg are sold-out. The authorities need to make it more vibrant.” said Aqib Chaya, President of Gulmarg Hoteliers Club.
Chaya, who runs Hotel Hilltop in Gulmarg, said that the picturesque Gulmarg has witnessed a huge influx of tourists over the past four years. “I must say, post the G20 event in Kashmir, the tourist rush is huge. People are more happy to visit the valley now,” he said, adding that ‘a sense of peace’ is bringing in more tourists.
Ranjeet Dhar, Corporate Associate Director of Marketing and PR, told Kashmir Observer that almost all the rooms at the Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa in Gulmarg have already been booked till mid-January.
Another hotelier said that both national and international tourists are arriving in huge numbers. “The rooms of all my hotels are booked till 31 of this month. The government has ensured all facilities, including electricity and drinking water, for tourists. We don’t have any problems and are ready to host as many tourists as possible,” Manzoor Ahmad, the owner of Hotel Poshvan in Gulmarg, said.
Shahzad Rasool, owner of Hotel Village Walk in Sonamarg, informed the Kashmir Observer that currently, even though 90 percent of the hotels are vacant, they expect a good tourist flow on the eve of Christmas and New Year due to prior reservations.
Notably, authorities have decided to keep Sonamarg open for tourists this year. However, Rasool highlighted the challenges faced during winters, including issues such as freezing of water pipes and electricity problems.
“Even if a couple of hotels were operating last year, the rest couldn’t function due to these issues. But we are hopeful that the authorities will make good arrangements for tourists this winter,” he added.
Rauf Tramboo, president of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) also said the graph of tourists in the valley is definitely up from a couple of years ago.”We are very upbeat and hopeful that we will witness another vibrant tourism season this year as well,” Tramboo said.
However, he mentioned that they are still awaiting the “green signal” from higher authorities regarding the opening of the route in Sonamarg for the winter season..
The Gulmarg Hoteliers Club is likely to hold a meeting with tourism officials to enhance winter tourism in Gulmarg. Notably, the Gulmarg and Sonamarg tourist destinations received the season’s first heavy spell of snowfall a month ago, wooing hundreds of tourists to the health resorts. Stakeholders are optimistic that the tourism department will spare no effort to ensure vibrant winter tourism.
Director Tourism, Kashmir, Raja Yaqoob Farooq, told Kashmir Observer that they have not yet finalized any events in Gulmarg as of now. “We will decide and share it with the media,” he said.
An official from the tourism department told Kashmir Observer that they are planning to hold many musical evenings on the eve of Christmas and New Year’s Day. “We have also decided to keep Sonamarg open for tourists this year and are expecting a good number of tourists,” he added.
He further said that apart from musical events, the department will host different winter sports events for tourists. The official also highlighted that all the necessary arrangements, including infrastructure, have been put in place; and preparations for the Christmas celebration are also going on in full swing at Gulmarg.
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