Cheer as Kashmir sees over 2.5 lakh tourists in two months
The Hindu
Tourism trends are healthy and bookings are continuing, says official
This December, the buzz on the famous Boulevard Road around the Dal lake in Srinagar saw an unprecedented scale, even after the sundown with the freezing temperatures engulfing the place, while most high-end hotels in Gulmarg and Pahalgam put up the ‘sold out’ tags online.
The reason behind the busy streets here is that Kashmir, for the first time in over a decade, hosted over 2.5 lakh tourists in only two months of November and December, running most high-end hotels in tourist hotspots of Gulmarg and Pahalgam full.
“Tourist footfall has been between 3,500 and 5,500 per day in the past two months. We recorded 1.27 lakh tourists in November, highest in the past one decade. The combined tourist figures of November-December are good omen for Kashmir’s tourism. Tourism trends are healthy and bookings too are continuing,” a senior tourism official said.
Sitting MP and DMK ally IUML’s candidate K. Navas Kani registered a remarkable victory from Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday. While Mr. Navas Kani polled 5,09,664 votes, O. Panneerselvam, Independent candidate supported by the BJP, bagged 3,42,882 votes, AIADMK candidate Jayaperumal secured 99,780 votes and Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Dr. Chandra Prabha Jeyapaul bagged 97,672 votes. As many as 6,275 voters pressed NOTA button.
Hailed as the “hrudayavanta” (man with a kind heart), cardiologist C.N. Manjunath registered a resounding victory by beating the three-time MP, D.K. Suresh, and sending ripples across Bengaluru Rural seat, a bastion strongly controlled by Mr. Suresh and his brother Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.