Gulmarg hotels full to the brim

New Delhi, December 18

Kashmir’s famous tourist resorts and hill stations, particularly Gulmarg and Pahalgam, are receiving a huge rush of visitors this winter as almost all huts and hotels have been booked for the next several weeks.

Like scores of huts and hotels, the high-end Khyber Resort and Spa at Gulmarg is fully sold out till the middle of January 2021. “I have been shuttling between my office and Khyber in search of a room for our tourism adviser who is scheduled to attend an important event here on December 31. I have completely failed as they don’t have a single room unsold”, Dr Javed-ur-Rehman, Assistant Director, Tourism, said.

All rooms booked

I have been shuttling between my office and Khyber in search of a room for our tourism adviser. But I have failed to book one as all hotels are full

to capacity. —Dr Javed-ur-Rehman, Assistant director, Tourism

He said 700 to 800 tourists come into Gulmarg every day. They include 200-300 visitors from all over India, while around 500 local visitors also enjoy a trip every day.

The recent snowfall has triggered a remarkable influx of visitors as hundreds are keen to fulfil their passion for skiing or a joyride on the famous ropeway called ‘Gulmarg Gondola’. The Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation is currently operating only the first phase of the ropeway as the skiing activity for now is limited to the lower end. A large number of common and amateur skiers have converged on Gulmarg. —IANS