J&K tourists up

The waning militancy seems to be giving a fillip to tourism in Jammu and Kashmir as the government expects about 13 lakh tourists to visit the Valley this year despite hike in air fares. Chief minister Omar Abdullah said the Valley received more than 4.5 lakh tourists in the last five months. “Hotels, resorts and guest houses are packed this year,” he said. Faiz Ahmad Bakshi, president, Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Owners’ Federation (KHAROF), said hotels and guest houses are booked for next month, too.The state tourism department is working hard to provide tents so that tourists are not hit by lack of accommodation. The tourism department registered over 1,000 guest houses to provide safe and affordable accommodation for tourists in and around Srinagar this year. The valley saw a huge rush from the first week of May this year, he said. State tourism and culture minister Nawang Ringzin Jora said there were record number of tourists in winter too. Steep airfares have made travelling to Srinagar from Delhi more expensive than travelling to Dubai, Malaysia or Singapore from the national capital. Houseboat occupancy is 100% this season.