Srinagar, Aug 8: With Valley getting huge influx of tourists this season, some A-class hotels in Kashmir have witnessed tremendous increase in their turnover.
 Among the leading hotels, Grand Lalit Hospitality has raked in Rs 22 crore from January to August, Taj Viventa Rs 17 crore and Grand Mumtaz Rs 16 crore.
 Sources said Grand Lalit Hospitality and Taj Viventa have made a business of Rs 22 crore and Rs 17 crore respectively.
 Managing Director, Hotel Grand Mumtaz, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya told Greater Kashmir: “We are fully satisfied with the business we have done so far. This season our turnover is more than Rs 16 crore and we are hopeful in coming days our business will further go up.”
 “It has been after a long time that Kashmir hospitality sector is witnessing such a boom in tourist rush. Except last three years, from 1988 hospitality sector has incurred heavy losses due to volatile situation here,” Chaya said who is also the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers’ Club. 
 He opined: “If we would improve infrastructure facilities in our state, we will become leading tourist destination in the world. We have got all the requisites to be best tourism place and most preferred place in the planet.”
 Observers said that during last three years, Kashmir tourism sector is witnessing a turnaround.
 In 2010 around 7.36 lakh tourists visited Kashmir including 23,000 foreigners. In 2011, the number of tourist arrivals in Kashmir touched 10 lakh mark. This year the number is expected to cross 2 million mark including pilgrim tourists.
 However, the tourism players said so far state has failed to attract more foreign tourists.  “This is because of the fact that the JK government, especially tourism department has failed to persuade the European countries to lift travel advisories on Kashmir,” they said.
 Sources in the tourism department said only 25,000 foreigners have arrived Kashmir this year from January.
 “The number of total tourist arrivals till July 31, 2012 is over 6 lakh. And only 20-25 thousand foreigners have arrived. This is apart from the 6.20 lakh Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims who performed the pilgrimage.”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST