Srinagar, 16 March (H.S.): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday threw open Asia’s largest tulip garden on the banks of Dal Lake here for visitors, and hoped that the tourism sector bounces back from the setbacks of last year.

Abdullah was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues and National Conference MLAs to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden on Cheshma Shahi Road, officials said.

“This will be a new start for those associated with the tourism industry. They had to go through a very tough phase. However, the situation keeps changing, and we hope that it improves to enable people from outside to come and enjoy the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah told reporters.

The tulip garden was among 44 destinations closed for tourists last year following the Pahalgam terror attack in April that killed 26 people. It reopened this year after a security audit.

Abdullah said various stakeholders are working on making floriculture a commercial venture whereby flowers grown here are exported to other parts of the country.

“Most things are in place. A reliable cold chain is the issue right now. Once we get that, be it through rail or air, this sector can bloom,” he said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar