Turnout Signals Revival Of Kashmir Tourism After Last Year’s Setback
Irfan Yattoo
Srinagar: The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden has recorded a significant footfall of nearly 2.95 lakh visitors since its opening on March 16, indicating a recovery in Kashmir’s tourism sector despite global uncertainties and last year’s disruptions.
Officials said the visitors include around 1.55 lakh domestic tourists and nearly 800 foreign nationals, reflecting a steady inflow to the Valley during the ongoing spring season.
The garden, located along the banks of the Dal Lake at the foothills of the Zabarwan Range, is spread over 450 kanals and remains one of the major tourist attractions during the season.
Assistant Floriculture Officer Imran Ahmad told Kashmir Horizon that footfall this year has been encouraging.
“Since opening on March 16, around 2.95 lakh visitors have visited the garden. If the trend continues, the number is expected to cross four lakh,” he said.
The garden features around 1.8 million tulip bulbs of over 70 varieties, including newly introduced species.
Officials said the plantation of early, mid, and late blooming varieties has helped extend the flowering period.
Tourism stakeholders said the inflow of visitors is notable given the impact of the Pahalgam attack in 2025, which had adversely affected tourist arrivals last year.
Officials said the tulip garden plays a key role in attracting early-season tourists and the current footfall trend is likely to boost overall tourism activity in the coming weeks.
The annual opening of the tulip garden marks the start of the spring tourism season in Kashmir, attracting thousands of visitors from across the country and abroad.
In a statement, Secretary General of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir, Sajad Kralyari, said tourist activity has shown improvement.
“There is around 50 per cent hotel occupancy in the Valley, which is a positive sign. We are also receiving fresh enquiries from different parts of the country,” he said.
He added that despite rising airfares and prevailing global tensions, the steady tourist inflow indicates improving confidence among visitors.
Last year, garden witnessed a record-breaking footfall, with 8,55,125 visitors during the 30-day opening period from March 26 to April 24, 2025.
The visitors included locals, domestic tourists and international travellers who thronged the garden to witness more than 1.7 million blooming tulips.
Spread across the slopes above Dal Lake, the garden was recognised as Asia’s largest tulip garden and earned a place in the World Book of Records (London) in 2023.
