Srinagar, Dec 22,2022: Crowds of tourists have started to gather in the Valley ahead of Christmas and New Year with most hotels registering full bookings.

All the hotels in the popular tourist destination of Gulmarg have been booked in advance.

Year 2022 has been a good year in terms of tourism for Kashmir. According to the official data, more than two million tourists visited the Valley till the end of November.

According to the President of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad Kathu, there has been an increase in the arrival of tourists for the last two weeks due to the arrival of the Christmas festival and New Year. Hotels in Gulmarg and Pahalgam are 100 per cent booked for Christmas and New Year.

Kashmir is always teeming with tourists during Christmas and New Year and this is an indication that this time too a large number of tourists will visit the Valley, and hotel owners are taking the opportunity to attract tourists. The hotel owners have also announced special packages for gala dinner and other entertainment.

In the last two years, all the activities of international tourism were suspended due to the global pandemic of coronavirus. But now all these restrictions have ended, due to which there is a wave of happiness among the people associated with tourism.

The tourism department of J&K government has also planned Christmas and New Year celebrations in Gulmarg and Pahalgam to woo tourists. Director Tourism Fazlul Haseeb said that the department will celebrate the winter carnival and New Year in Gulmarg and Pahalgam on December 25. Events will also be held at Doodhpathri and Yusmarg.