Srinagar, Apr 25: Nestled in the foothills of Zabarwan mountain range, the Tulip garden has become a major tourist attraction in the Valley with over 57,000 people from across the country visiting the garden.
 “The garden was thrown open for public on April 1 and till yesterday, 60,000 people paid a visit,”  The Director Floriculture, Dr Ghulam Sarwar Naqash told Greater Kashmir adding that majority, 57,000 visitors belonged to different parts of the country while the rest were locals.
 He said that with the improvement in weather conditions, the number of visitors would increase in the coming days. “The Tulip garden will remain open till April 30 and we are expecting more visitors during these last days,” Naqash said adding, this year, very few locals visited the garden as compared to past 2-years. 
 Naqash said, the Tulip garden had given a new dimension to the Tourism sector in the Valley. “The Tulip garden has preponed the tourist season in Kashmir by over a month with thousands of people visiting the Valley in April to see the flowers. Earlier, the season used to commence from May 15,” Naqash said adding the overwhelming response from the tourists had become a boon for the tourist service providers in Kashmir and other associated with the trade. 
 He said the tourists, this year, witnessed 50 different varieties of Tulips in the garden. “We increased the number of terraces to six this year and planted 15 lakh bulbs across the eight hectares of land,” Naqash said.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST