J&K admin promotes graffiti artwork in Srinagar to boost tourist influx

In a bid to boost tourist inflow, the Jammu and Kashmir Administration has started decorating barren places and walls with graffiti artwork as part of the Srinagar Smart City project. Several professionals have been brought in to help remodel the areas and add visual art depicting Kashmiri culture. They've created paintings representing various bird species, Kashmiri culture, and more.

"Graffiti sketching on walls and flyovers is a part of the beautification push under the Srinagar Smart City initiative," said Municipal Commissioner Athar Aamir Khan to ANI. The beautified locations have garnered a lot of attention, and both locals and tourists like visiting them, resulting in a surge in tourist traffic in Srinagar, ANI reported.

While speaking to ANI, Zahoor Kashmiri, an artist from the project said, "The purpose of these murals is to help increase the tourist footfall in the city. It also attracts the locals here. No one likes dirty looking walls; people even avoid accidental rubs at them. Now, even when the work is in progress, tourists and locals visit to pictures." 

Mudasir Ahmad, an artist who is a part of the project, asserted that the J&K administration has taken a very positive step. "Srinagar is a tourism hub, so the dirty looking walls doesn't sit well. With the beautification, the tourists now have a better visual for them when they roam around locally," he said. People praised the effort and expressed a desire for more nice spots like these where people could enjoy themselves and take selfies, ANI reported.  

Tasaduq Bhat, a local resident, lauded the initiative, saying, "The art has contributed to the beautification of the city. It has also aided the development of local talent and piqued the interest of a number of people in the arts." The administration also intends to broaden the scope of the project to include more locations, reported ANI.

J&K witnesses record tourist arrivals

Officials stated that more than 1 lakh visitors visited Jammu and Kashmir in November, providing a significant boost to the union territory. Dr Ghulam Nabi, Director of the J&K Tourism Department, said on Thursday that over 1.27 lakh visitors visited Kashmir last month, the highest number recorded in the last seven years. Around 1.27 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in November and 97,000 tourists in October this year, which is the highest in the last seven years. Vigorous tourism promotions and iconic festivals created the buzz that resulted in a record footfall," Ghulam Nabi told ANI.

(with inputs from ANI)

Image: ANI