Last Updated on June 6, 2022 at 10:48 am
An unprecedented rush of tourists from every nook and corner are visiting Jammu and Kashmir to spend their vacations in the valley. Hotels are running short of rooms, Gondola tickets in Gulmarg are not available easily as Kashmir is witnessing massive influx of tourists in these summers.
After a slump of three years, nearly two lakh tourists visited the Valley in March alone. And between January and 15 May 2022, it saw 700,000 visitors, the highest in the last 10 years, reportedly.
The very famous Gondola tickets to get on same day are becoming next to impossible for the visitors. One of the local said that as of now, the tickets which are sold only through online mode, stand sold out till June 8 making it impossible for the locals as well as other tourists to get a ride.
The people as well as those who are associated with the tourism sector rue the official indifference towards the issue while stating it is hard for the locals as well as the tourists to get Gondola tickets the day they reach Gulmarg, as per Daily Excelsior.
Tourist guides allegedly said that the online booking of the tickets as well as alleged mismanagement of matters at Gulmarg was taking a toll on the livelihood of the registered tourist guides at the tourist resort.
Tariq Ahmad Khan, who is the president of the Tourist Guide Association, Gulmarg told Excelsior that the authorities cannot keep ticketing 100 percent online and that they need to resolve the issues faced by locals. “Registered guides should get a reservation quota or they can keep the same day online option open for the people to get the ticket the day they reach Gulmarg; the big companies get the larger chunk of the tickets and we are left with nothing,” he said.
Secretary Tourism Sarmad Hafeez told Excelsior that due to huge tourist’s influx at Gulmarg, the tickets are being booked well in advance by people though if there are any other issue, the same will be resolved.
