With hundreds of foreign tourists thronging the garden, the total visitor count at Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar has neared the 2.5 lakh mark in just 18 days since Chief Minister Omar Abdullah threw it open to the public on March 16.
According to official statistics compiled from offline ticket sales, over 600 foreign tourists have visited the garden so far.
The majority of visitors comprise locals and tourists, who have been thronging the garden in large numbers despite erratic weather conditions. Though adverse weather affected the garden’s overall footfall, the garden has maintained a steady flow of visitors since its opening.
Director Floriculture Kashmir, Mathoora Masoom, said since the inauguration by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the visitor number had touched 2.25 lakh as of Thursday evening. She had earlier stated that the rush increased manifold on weekends and public holidays, taking the figure from 6,000–10,000 to 15,000 or even 20,000 people daily.
“On normal working days, the rush is fine, but on holidays and weekends, we get about 20,000 to 22,000 visitors maximum into the garden. The trend has been increasing,” she said.
Besides, she said the Badamwari in Srinagar this year witnessed more than twice the figure compared to last year. The figures touched 43,000 in March, up from 18,000 reported during the same period last year.
Favourable weather conditions, with cool temperatures beneficial for tulips, have helped sustain the bloom.
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