Srinagar:Nestledin the lap of Zabarwan Mountains on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, TulipGarden was few days ago thrown open for general public. The ticket as usual isimpressive for tourists and the locals alike. It is a great sight to see peoplefrom all the length and breadth of India paying a visit to the beautifully laidout terraced garden. The common argument is that in itself the Tulip Garden ofSrinagar is not a revenue generator but it triggers a ripple effect in tourismdue to which all parties associated with tourism sector benefit. For example,the travel agents qualify more booking during tulip bloom season, givingbenefit to transport sector and the hoteliers of the valley. It is all certainthat the tourists who tiptoe their way in Tulip garden are not on a one dayjourney but would prefer to stay in for more than one day thus creating aripple effect in tourist. There is a parallel argument going on in certainsections of civil society and media that in itself Tulip Garden has been a goodshow for the tourism players. There is good attraction in the garden nowadays.So how much revenue can a Tulip Garden generate this year is a question. Itpractically depends on the footfall. It needs thousands of people per day tomake an impressive collection. The rush has been many times bigger. The localshave shown tremendous enthusiasm in making it a point to visit the garden alongwith their families. Rom last few years’ people from countryside have also begunto visit the garden. On Saturday, LG Manoj Sinha while inaugurating the six daytulip festival at at Asia's Largest Tulip garden said that Jammu and Kashmir isendowed with unparalleled beauty and natural landscapes which have hugepotential for tourism. LG said that, earlier tourists were visiting otherfamous gardens and tourist places of Kashmir, but now tulip Garden has becomean iconic destination and attraction for them, which is highly appreciable.Besides all these good steps, the Administration should follow all the COVIDrelated SoPs and testing should be done at all tourist arrival places, so thatthe cases wouldn't increase in coming days.