Amid early snowfall Kashmir witnesses record-breaking tourist arrivals

At a time when it’s still autumn in Kashmir, hundreds of tourists were taken by surprise to witness snowfall at various locations in the valley. Most of them had come to enjoy the autumn hues and the golden coloured chinar trees of Kashmir, but got snow instead.
The J&K government on Friday released figures that show that 1.70 crore tourists have already visited the Union Territory of J&K this year, and by this yearend, the number may cross the 2-crore mark, which would amount to a remarkable surge in tourism for Kashmir. A peaceful atmosphere, snowfall in October, coupled with the launch of Vistadome train services have added to the tourist rush to the Kashmir valley. According to tour and travel outlets, they were getting a lot of queries about tourism packages in Kashmir valley for the autumn season, but the early snowfall resulted in a lot of bookings for the winter months, especially as the tourists want to enjoy snow at Gulmarg and Sonmarg.
Social media platforms like Instagram have really helped in giving a push to tourism in the past few days as tourists who were already in Kashmir valley uploaded their photographs in the snow-covered Gulmarg and Sonmarg. It is in place to mention that Kashmir received early snowfall in all the higher regions, including Gurez in Bandipora district, Karnah in Kupwara district, besides a snow blanket at the famous tourist destinations of Gulmarg and Sonmarg.
Adding to the delight of both the locals and the tourists, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday flagged off the first Vistadome coach train to Banihal from Srinagar station. He said the Vistadome services would have a profound impact on tourism and contribute to the economic growth and cultural enrichment of the region.
“The state-of-the-art Vistadome will attract tourists in large numbers and open up more livelihood generation avenues for the people living in the cities, towns, and villages connected to all the railway stations in Kashmir valley,” Sinha said.
The Railways have designed Vistadome coaches equipped with wide windows, revolving chairs, and a glass rooftop, offering the passengers and the tourists a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that the government was planning to roll out 75 Vande Bharat trains by March next year. He said that Vande Bharat services were expected to be introduced in Srinagar within this financial year as the Jammu-Srinagar railway line would become functional.
The Union Minister said that the Vande Bharat train for Kashmir has been designed in such a way that it can run very smoothly in those temperatures and altitude. With the introduction of Vande Bharat, the J&K administration is expecting a remarkable surge in tourist footfalls in Kashmir. Early snowfall and bookings for the winter months indicate that the number of tourists coming to J&K will cross the 2-crore mark by the end of this year.