Gulmarg Gondola was closed as the government imposed a lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19 from mid-March. On September 27, Gondola was opened for a day as the first phase on the occasion of World Tourism Day and then it resumed daily operations from Saturday taking tourists to Kongdoori Mountain at a height of 8,530 ft. Gulmarg Gondola is one of Asia’s largest and highest cable cars surrounded by pine forests and Himalayan mountain peaks in the ski resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir which have been now opened for tourists this week after remaining shut for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials said that tourists have started dripping in amid proper Covid-19 strategies of social distancing and masks, to enjoy the astonishing beauty offered by the mountainous grasslands. Fayaz Ahmad, the Assistant Manager of Gulmarg Gondola Project said in an interview, “We had decided to operate the Gondola on weekends but then the government decided to open the first phase every day from Saturday,”
According to the report, he also tells that the tourists both locals and visitors from different states of the country have started coming in. It is believed that on average there are around 50 people ride the ropeway every day. Whereas at the period of the weekend, the number increased more than double around 150. Around 30% of visitors were from different states of the country. The tourism department has also started campaigns to charm tourists for which on Monday, tourism director Nisar Ahmad Wani said during the Nature Walk event at Dachigam National Park “Tourism is now open in Kashmir and gradually moving towards revival".
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