NEW DELHI: Vibrant tulips spread over hundreds of acres, verdant golf courses and the snow-capped Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir made the hill region one of the most sought-after spots among domestic tourists in the last one year. As pent up demand for travel picked up pace in the aftermath of the pandemic-induced lockdown, Union tourism and culture minister Prahlad Patel said J&K saw a five-time increase in tourists arrivals in January 2021 in comparison to the year before.
Pitched by travel companies as the ideal destination for luxury weddings and honeymoons, J&K saw an uptick in domestic arrivals in the months after lockdown was lifted, with tourist inflow rising from 3,700 in January 2020 to 19,000 in January 2021. Overall, J&K also emerged as the preferred destination for Bollywood film makers to shoot in, with as many as 26 films being shot in in the region in January this year. On Monday, J&K LG Manoj Sinha also said the UT would soon get area specific tourism and film policies to promote the UT in the months ahead.