Manasbal (J-K), Oct 5 : The Manasbal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir is attracting tourists to the valley following promotional efforts by the State Government.

Manasbal, situated 30 km away from Kashmir, is considered one of the best lakes in the state. And now, initiative taken have been up by the administration is to improve the appearance of the Lake and its surrounding areas.

"Manasbal has special importance as compared to other lakes like Wular and Dal. It has a natural and perennial source of water. There are more than 1200 springs from which Manasbal receives water. There is not much pollution and its tourism potential is very high," said Reyaz Ahmed Qureshi, the tourist officer at Manasbal.

For boat owners, the increase in tourism has meant an increase in their incomes.

"Things are very fine these days. In the past, the situation was really bad. After the government took the matter in its hands, Manasbal is on its way to fast development," said Gulam Hassan, a boat owner.
Visitors find the tranquil beauty of the Lake extremely appealing.

“We have appreciated the efforts made by the government. This will be a popular tourist spot very soon,” said Sobha Devi, a tourist.

Tourists from both India and abroad are pouring into the region in large numbers.

This year there has been a slump in tourist arrivals in Kashmir.

According to state officials, tourist arrivals during the current season were only forty percent despite relative normalcy in the valley.

Tourism had returned in force to Kashmir in 2005 when 600,000 tourists, most of them Indians, visited the state. But the numbers dropped off again last year after a series of attacks on tourists. (ANI)