Visitors awestruck by beauty of wide tulip range
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Apr 9: Asia’s largest Tulip Garden, located in the lap of Zabarwan hills overlooking Dal lake, has seen about 2.5 lakh tourists arrive in the previous 18 days, leaving the tourists that flock to the garden intoxicated with the dazzling beauty of the garden’s diverse diversity of tulips.
Officials told Excelsior that the garden’s astounding beauty, which includes several new tulip types, has drawn tourists not only from throughout the country but also from outside.
“According to the numbers we have, we have had 2 lakh, 49 thousand tourists visit the garden in the last 18 months since it was opened to the public, and there is hope that the number will increase by the time the tulips lose their bloom due to the change in weather and the garden is closed to visitors,” In-charge of the Tulip Garden, Dr Inam Ahmad, told Excelsior.
According to officials of the Floriculture Department, the garden is seeing record-breaking visitor numbers this year, which they said is the first time since it opened. “Over 2 lakh tourists visited the garden in 16 days, but over 50,000 more people reached in just two days; the venue is predicted to be busy in the days ahead as well.”
Those in charge of the garden said they expected greater foot traffic as a result of the years of promotion that had gone into it, highlighting in particular PM Narendra Modi’s recent mention of the Tulip Garden.
“We were expecting a rush this year because a lot of advertising and promotion had gone into it over the previous several years; eventually, such strategies bear fruit, and all of it is in front of you. More importantly, the Prime Minister acknowledged it in tweets, which must have encouraged more people to travel to Kashmir and visit the Tulip Gardens. It is now popular all around the world,” the officials said.
Concerning the end of the tulip bloom period and the time when the garden will be closed, Dr Inam said that it all depends entirely on the weather. “If the weather is moderate and temperatures do not rise, the closure can be extended; if the weather turns hot in the coming days, the bloom period will be shorter, necessitating the closure,” he said.
Aanchal Sharma, a visitor from Chhattisgarh, enjoying the mesmerising beauty of tulips, said that it was no less than heaven. “It is so beautiful, I must say. We had scheduled our visit as per the time when the Tulip Garden would open. We have specifically come to see the tulips. It is stunning,” she said.
She urged the people to come and visit the Tulip Garden, which, she said, has the peculiarity of having tulips of almost every colour. “It is breath-taking; I cannot explain it in words. People who spend huge amounts on foreign trips should instead come to Kashmir,” she said.
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