Overview
- Floriculture officials confirmed the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden will open on March 16 following an unusually warm winter that advanced flowering.
- About 1.8 million bulbs across more than 70 tulip varieties are planted this season, with staggered early, mid and late blooms to extend the display.
- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is slated to inaugurate the opening, with new visitor features including online ticketing, cultural programmes and handicraft stalls; tickets are priced at ₹100 for adults, ₹50 for children and ₹200 for foreign visitors, with hours from 9 am to 7 pm.
- Badamwari’s almond blossoms are already drawing visitors, and the site is being developed into a year‑round attraction with new plantings, selfie points and a planned lavender patch to extend spring interest.
- Tourism operators report uncertainty for the season due to the West Asia conflict and a local commercial gas shortage, even as authorities lean on the bloom to revive travel after 2025’s attack depressed arrivals and triggered security audits.