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| After decline in COVID-19 cases, tourists throng Kashmir | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
eaRLY tIMES rEPORT
Srinagar, July 8: With the decline in COVID-19 cases, influx of tourists is gradually increasing at several tourist resorts in Kashmir.
Talking to Early Times, an officer from the Tourism Department said, “As the cases are on decline, there has been a gradual increase in the number of tourists visiting Kashmir ".
He said that Pahalgam and Gulmarg have witnessed gradual increase in the number of tourists in the past 10 days. "I hope that tourists continue to visit this beautiful Valley of ours," the official said.
Atul Sharma, a tourist said, "I have come from Haryana. We are staying at a resort in Pahalgam. Many of my friends opt to travel abroad. But now, I request them to visit Kashmir instead."
"We are staying in Pahalgam. Spending on international travel is too costly. Hence, we opted to visit the valley. We like it," said Jyoti Sharma, another tourist.
Muneer Ahmad, a hotelier said, “Many people have this notion that the Pahalgam area is unsafe due to a few attacks. I want to assure them that the entire Kashmiri is completely safe. All the tourists are welcome here. In the past few days, we have registered a growth in our business.”
The tourism sector in Kashmir witnessed major setbacks for the last two years due to the lockdown in the valley after the removal of Article 370 in 2019 and in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"After a long time, the Valley has witnessed a good number of tourists. Travel to Europe seems like a distant reality due to Covid, which makes Kashmir the preferred holiday destination. We have ensured that all Covid-19 guidelines are followed for safety. We are hopeful and are looking forward to a great month ahead of us," said one of the top hoteliers here in Srinagar.
The cafes and restaurants in Srinagar are abuzz with several tourists visiting the city from across the country.
The two back-to-back years of setbacks have delivered a major economic blow to the tourism sector in Kashmir. Estimates suggest that the Kashmir tourism sector lost around Rs 1,100 crores in just one year.
In 2019, there was a sharp dip of around 34 per cent tourist inflow due to scrapping of Article 370 and subsequent lockdown. Meanwhile, 2020 saw negligible tourism due to Covid-19 pandemic. A couple from Gujarat said they are elated to be in the Valley in the month of July. "It has been such an enjoyable vacation for us. Whatever we had heard of Kashmir, there is way more than that in terms of beauty. We are happy we chose this place to come," said newly-wed Vikram.
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