Kashmir tourism soars as valley escapes heat wave; houseboats and shikaras fully booked
Houseboats in Kashmir
As Kashmir Valley finally got some respite from the heat wave in the last few days, the tourist inflow has peaked as well. Majority of hotels and houseboats are completely booked as moretourists are coming to the valley.
The touristinflow has surged to the point where houseboats on Kashmir's Dal Lake must be booked months in advance. Staying in these iconic houseboats is a must for any visitor to Kashmir.
Currently, the majority of houseboats are fully booked due to the recent increase in tourist numbers.
''We had pre-booked our stay in the houseboat a few weeks ago. We did not want any hassle and that's why we had pre-booked everything. We are also finding Shikara's as we have houseboat bookings. There is no tension regarding that. It's the peak time so we booked early, and everyone should pre book so that they don't face any problems or Issues'' said Prarik Aggarwal, a tourist.
While India is reeling under heat wave, Kashmir Valley has seen a respite in the last few days and that has brought a lot of cheer among the tourists. And the summer influx of tourists to the valley has increased as most of the hotels, houseboats, huts at every tourist place in Kashmir are booked.
Kashmir Valley saw over a million tourists in the first four months of 2024. The winter tourism broke all the previous records. According to the data of Srinagar International Airport, on an average more than 18,000 passengers visit the airport and majority of them are tourists. As against an average of 70 flights in February, currently 94 flights are operating at the airport.
''We are finding Shikara's without any issues. There is a waiting, but we are getting to go for a ride. Kashmir is a place which everyone should explore. There is a difference of 15 degrees between Gujrat and Kashmir. We are loving it here. We have also pre booked the houseboat and we are not having any difficulty finding shikaras,'' said Vandana, a tourist.
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir and tourism stakeholders are hopeful that all the previous records of tourist arrivals will be broken this year.
