SRINAGAR
A few months back, the J&K administration had started promoting 75 newly identified offbeat tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. Tourist traffic has risen during the current year, apart from Amarnath Yatra, as per government figures released a few days ago. Recently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that because of peace in Jammu and Kashmir, “tourism has increased and people are reaping the benefits of a peaceful environment”.
According to the figures in the seven months of the current year, about 1.27 crore tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir and the government is expecting it to cross 2.25 crore by the end of this year. Scenic places like Keran in Kupwara district near the border and Gurez in North Western district of Bandipora are becoming the hot spots of tourists in these summer months.
The government has identified camping sites in the meadows of Gurez and Keran. Most of the tourists are uploading breath-taking views of Gurez and Keran, with the result that there has been a huge footfall of tourists at such places in Kashmir valley. Many other offbeat tourist destinations are getting huge traffic of tourists and most of them are preferring homestays at these new destinations.
Encouraged by the rising tourist footfall, the Directorate of Tourism Jammu, District Administration Doda and Jammu Kashmir Academy of Art Culture & Languages are set to host a two-day tourism mela at Lal Draman meadow of Doda district on 5-6 August. The government is expecting that this new tourist destination in Jammu region will pick up soon as it is surrounded by mountains and landscapes. Though tourists are coming to Lal Draman meadow of Doda, by this two-day tourism mela, authorities are expecting that Doda district will get a lot of tourists in the coming months. Directorate of Tourism Jammu Vivekanand Rai said that Jammu region is expecting to get a healthy tourist footfall as out of 75 newly identified tourism destinations, 37 are in the Jammu province.
“We are getting dozens of families and they stay with us, go back with a warm feeling. In the coming years, if tourists visit our area, it will be a game changer for us,” said Abdul Ahad Bhat who has hosted many tourists in the Lolab valley of Kupwara.