Up, up and away: Hot air balloon enthralls tourists, locals in Kashmir

Srinagar: Hot air balloon is attracting a large number of tourists.

A large number of tourists throng Zabarwan park daily to ride the hot air balloon.

After around four years, the tourism department resumed the hot air balloon service at Srinagar’s Zabarwan park.

The service is part of a series of new initiatives that are being launched by the department.

A hot air balloon accommodates four passengers at a time besides its captain. Certain safety measures are mandatory.

On average daily, nearly 100 tourists use the service to get an amazing view of the boulevard and the rest of the city areas. “Hot air balloon is an amazing experience. This service is not much available at tourist destinations in many states. It gives a fantastic view of Srinagar, particularly Boulevard,” said Sumit Shah, a tourist from Gujarat.

Locals too are availing this service. “We had paragliding service in Kashmir some years before which was later shelved. Hot air balloon is equally an adventure ride and gives a better feeling,” said Sajad Wani, a local.

According to reports, the Zabarwan Park hot air balloon has been started on a trial basis. Depending on its success, the valley will have hot air balloon services at other tourist destinations.

Kashmir has seen a massive surge in tourist arrivals, which is the highest in the past ten years. The Srinagar airport has seen 15000 arrivals on March 28, which is the highest.

Nearly 2.66 lakh people visited the tulip garden till April 5 after it was thrown open on March 23.