In the freezing winter season, the tourist resort of Gulmarg is expecting a huge rush of domestic tourists this year, even if foreign skiing players remain missing.
Well-known trekker and tour operator Rouf Tramboo from the Valley says that hotels in Gulmarg are sold out up to March 2022 as a large number of high end travellers from different states will be coming to the ski resort. “Before Covid-19 infection, Gulmarg would see a substantial number of foreign ski players in spite of the travel advisory. They would go for backcountry skiing but it is not possible this year,” he adds.
Till December 12, 2021, according to the officials, 573115 tourists visited the Valley from January this year with the months of August, September, October, and November getting the highest footfall. In November alone, 1,27,606 tourists visited Kashmir indicating tourism is bouncing back after a travel advisory from the government in 2019.