SRINAGAR, Apr 17: The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Asia’s largest tulip garden and a major tourist attraction, witnessed a sharp decline in visitor footfall this year, dropping by more than 50 per cent, officials said on Friday.
The garden recorded 3.90 lakh visitors this season, a steep fall from last year’s record 8.55 lakh footfall.
Assistant Floriculture Officer Incharge, Imran Ahmad, said that the visitors included 1,222 foreigners and around 2.89 lakh domestic tourists, while approximately 1.6 lakh locals also visited the site.
The garden, located on the banks of the scenic Dal Lake, was closed for the public on Thursday as the blooming season came to an end.
It was opened to visitors on March 16 by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, nearly a week ahead of schedule due to early blooming triggered by rising temperatures.
Established in 2008 by then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the garden was developed to boost tourism during the lean spring season. This year, more than 70 varieties of tulips were showcased, with increased bulb density to enhance visual appeal.
Officials said the garden had closed last year in April, shortly after the Pahalgam terror attack, which led to cancellations and an early end to tourist visits.
Over the years, the garden has witnessed fluctuating footfall trends, recording 4.45 lakh visitors in 2024, 3.75 lakh in 2023, 3.62 lakh in 2022, and 2.25 lakh in 2021, while it remained closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Earlier figures stood at 2.59 lakh in 2019, 1.9 lakh in 2018, 1.50 lakh in 2017, and 1.75 lakh in 2016.
Despite the dip this year, the Tulip Garden continues to remain one of Kashmir’s most prominent seasonal tourist attractions.
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