Srinagar: With the arrival of the spring season in the Kashmir Valley, thousands of almond trees are in full bloom. The pink and white flowers on the almond trees are no less than a wonderland. The famous Almond Garden, ‘Badamwari’ of Srinagar city, has thousands of almond trees, which are in full bloom and all set to welcome tourists as well as locals. The department of tourism organised a special almond blossom festival as well.

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The gardens of the Valley are finally turning into colourful palettes with almond and cherry blossoms. Thousands of tourists are thronging the Kashmir Valley only to witness these beautiful visuals. These are the first flowers to bloom in a season, and Badamwari located at the foothills of Kohi-Maraan mountain on 300 kanals of land, has more than 1000 almond trees.

The Tourism Department says that not only has the domestic tourist arrival increased but the footfall of international tourists has also risen. According to government data, around 200-300 foreign tourists are visiting the valley every day. A special spring almond blossom festival was held at the Badamwari garden in Srinagar City. 

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“This was one of the first festivals that we organised, and we are planning many such festivals. To welcome the season, we will organise festivals in Yusmarg and many other places. The hotels in Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam are fully occupied, and around 54 flights are coming, and all are packed. Most of these flights are full of tourists. We are also getting 200-300 foreign tourists daily as well, and we are getting a big group of women from New Zealand as well,” said Raja Yaqoob Farooq, Director of Tourism, Kashmir.

A huge number of locals as well as the tourists are arriving at the Almond Garden. The social media sites are already filled with pictures of the Badamwari. The government is hoping that all the previous records of tourist arrivals would be broken this spring. The tourists already in the valley are enjoying the view of the bloom.

“It’s a very nice place, and it’s very unique. We had seen it in the paper and media only. After coming here, it’s very nice, and it’s worth seeing. It’s one of the best places, and one should see it for sure,” said Ravi, a tourist. 

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The tourism department of Kashmir is planning to celebrate the full spring season across the various gardens of the Srinagar City. The people who are visiting are mesmerised with the views of these blooms.

“I am so excited to be here, we don’t see these flowers in Hyderabad, so I am loving it here. It’s very beautiful and very exciting to see the tulips. We decided to come during the season only,” said Jahnvi, a tourist. 

The spring festivals also attract more and more tourists to the Kashmir Valley.