Srinagar, April 27: Tour operator Nazir Ahmad Bakshi’s face betrays both joy and apprehension as he describes the results of his decade-long efforts to revive Kashmir tourism.

“The tourist rush is better than last year and we expect many more to come this year. Still, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” the head of the Tour and Travel Association of Kashmir, an organisation of private travel agents, said.

Officials say building a new tulip garden — Asia’s largest with 12 lakh tulip bulbs — and a golf circuit and aggressive marketing in India and abroad may have paid off.

Efforts by Bakshi and many others, both within and outside the government, had seen a tourist rush in the first few years of the coalition government. But deadly militant attacks on tourists in 2006 led to the number falling to around 4.5 lakh in each of the past two years, two lakh less than in 2005.

About one lakh tourists have so far visited the Valley this year, double the number during this period last year, officials said. The travellers include a large number of foreigners.

“The situation has improved here and people are feeling safe. Our new strategy, in my opinion, has paid off,” state tourism secretary Nayeem Akhtar said.

The strategy has been to dispatch official teams to Calcutta, Mumbai and south India as well as to foreign tourism exhibitions such as the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai, the Bahrain Tourism Expo and Tourism Brouse Berlin.

Teams have also visited Malaysia, Japan and South Korea to showcase the Valley’s tourism potential and participated in roadshows.

“We have around 30 per cent occupancy now and expect a good response in May,” said Habib Ullah Mir, Kashmir Hoteliers and Restaurants Association president.

Over the past few months, the state government has taken steps to provide depth to the tourism landscape. The tulip garden came up on the foothills of the Zabarwan range, Srinagar’s almond alcove was revived and security forces vacated the Nagin club.

These places are already major draws. “Whatever I had heard about Kashmir is true. It is really a paradise on earth,” said S. Anandan from Kerala after visiting the garden.

The government is also banking on high-end tourists and has built a golf circuit. The Valley has four golf courses and a fifth is coming up.