Most Gulmarg hotels booked till mid-April

Most Gulmarg hotels booked till mid-April

Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:01.03.2021 

As the mercury shoots up in the plains, tourists with a passion for skiing are thronging a snowed-out Gulmarg. Most hotels in this picturesque Kashmir town are fully booked through March and some even till mid-April with many well-heeled domestic tourists, who used to flock to foreign ski havens for their annual winter break in pre-Covid times, discovering Gulmarg as a refreshing alternative closer home.

Not only skiing enthusiasts — mostly from Delhi and Mumbai — Gulmarg is also attracting less-adventurous folks bored of being largely confined to their homes for a year. “The peaceful atmosphere in J&K over the last couple of years and the mandatory Covid testing at airports has made tourism here a safe and secure alternative to flying abroad,” says Vinit Chhabra, general manager of The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa in Gulmarg.

As many as 29 hotels and resorts in Gulmarg, according to a list accessed by TOI, are fully sold out for most of March, while some have 100% bookings till mid-April. The Khyber is fully booked till March end, The Rosewood Hotel till April 10, The Vintage till April 13 and JKTDC Huts through most of March.

Tourists enjoy themselves in snow-clad Gulmarg on Sunday

‘Early snowfall in Nov brought in skiing enthusiast & tourists’

The early snowfall in November this year brought in skiing enthusiast and tourists here. Of course, the continuing curbs on international flights have given a boost to tourism in Gulmarg," Vinit Chhabra, general manager of The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa in Gulmarg says.

“People who always had J&K on their bucket list are now coming here, having been presented with an opportunity. Also, mandatory Covid testing (at airports/railway stations/inter-state border) gives a psychological assurance that no visitor infected with Covid will make it to tourist spots inside the state,” he added.

Most hotel and resort managers TOI spoke to were upbeat about the positive impact on the regular tourist season in Kashmir, which starts in May, with Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sonmarg likely to witness good arrivals. “For the locals, a good tourist season means better earnings and more job opportunities,” said Eijaz Bhat, manager at Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) Huts in Gulmarg.

Bhat attributed the full bookings in Gulmarg to the conscious push given by the Centre as well as J&K government under LG Manoj Sinha, to revival of tourism in the Valley. For instance, Khelo India event was held in the ski resort last week, with the Prime Minister inaugurating it. He added that JKDTC has offered 50% discount on its hotel fares through the Union Territory.

According to Farooq Ahmad of The Rosewood hotel at Gulmarg, tourists from all income groups are making a beeline for Gulmarg. “The excitement of witnessing a snowfall, a first for many, is the main attraction,” he said. “Even for those interested in skiing, Gulmarg is a far cheaper alternative to foreign resorts,” added Bhat.

Of course, the celebrity arrivals in Gulmarg have helped. Bollywood actors Vidya Balan and Arbaaz Khan recently took vacations in Gulmarg. Chhabra of The Khyber disclosed that he recently had to deny a room reservation to actress Sara Ali Khanas the hotel was fully booked.

People climb up a snow covered mountain after fresh snowfall at the ski resort of Gulmarg on Sunday