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Kashmir’s Tulip Garden sees record tourist arrivals
Kashmir’s iconic Tulip Garden has witnessed an all-time high number of arrival of visitors, locals as well as domestic tourists, this year since its establishment in 2007
Kashmir’s iconic Tulip Garden, one of the biggest in Asia where 1.5 million flowers are in bloom, has witnessed an all-time high number of arrival of visitors, locals as well as domestic tourists, this year since its establishment in 2007.
Officials said that 2.66 lakh people visited the garden till Sunday after it was thrown open on March 23.
“This year broke all records. Over 2.66 lakh people visited the garden in just 12 days of its opening, the highest since 2007,” said Sofi Inam-ur-Rehman, floriculture officer and in-charge of the Tulip Garden.
The garden plays an important part in wooing more tourists during spring, particularly after the Covid disruptions since March 2020. Last year, the garden saw 2.30 lakh visitors, including tourists and locals.
While the garden was closed in the spring of 2020 owing to the pandemic, in 2019, the garden attracted 2.58 lakh visitors, including many locals, and 1.9 lakh in 2018 as the annual tulip festival has been gaining popularity and attracting tourists.
“Improvement in Covid-19 situation and then relaxation in restrictions has resulted in the increasing number of visitors,” Rehman said
The official said locals have been thronging the garden before the onset of the holy month of Ramadan which has been causing heavy traffic jams on the Boulevard road last week.
“Of the 2.66 lakh visitors so far this year, 1.9 lakh locals visited the garden. A footfall of 49,000 was witnessed on Saturday, just a day before the start of Ramadan (on Sunday) after which the local rush has dropped substantially,” Rehman said.
“Mostly domestic tourists are visiting the place now,” he said.
Almost 1.5 million flowers of 68 varieties are adorning the 30-hectare terraced garden at Siraj Bagh located on the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range and banks of majestic Dal Lake.
Usually, the tulip bloom starts by late March. The average life of a tulip flower is 20 days and can stretch to a maximum of 25 with the overall bloom getting extended by adding late-blooming varieties of tulips.
Rehman said that this year the flowers bloomed 3-4 days early owing to the high temperatures. He said that the flowers won’t sustain that long this month.
“The temperatures have increased, so the flowers won’t sustain for long this year. The flower needs moderate temperatures but we are now seeing temperatures between 25-28 degrees Celsius which is detrimental for its growth,” he said.
The temperature-sensitive flowers need mercury to stay above 15 degrees Celsius and below 25 degrees Celsius.
“Last year we closed the garden on April 25 but this year we think it will be early,” he said.
