Srinagar, Dec. 6 -- After the Pahalgam and Delhi terror attacks severely hit Kashmir's tourism sector, visitor footfall has begun to slowly revive in the Himalayan valley over the past week, officials and tourism stakeholders say. With an eye on December snowfall as predicted by the MeT office, the J&K government is also devising plans to further boost the footfall during winters especially keeping three prominent tourism spots - Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam - open with all facilities. "We are preparing for the winter season. Hotels have been showing 50-60% bookings which is a good sign. Some weeks back it used to be single digit occupancy," said Tahir Wani, assistant director of tourism in Gulmarg. Kashmir's winter tourist footfall largely relies on Gulmarg, the ski bowl in the western Himalayas near the Line of Control, some 50km north of Srinagar. "Once it snows, Gulmarg will become the winter tourist base. Snow and winter sports lovers are very passionate about Gulmarg. We are all waiting for the snow but the kind of figures we have received, it has improved," said Wani. Gulmarg gondola, a flagship cable car attraction of Kashmir and India's highest ropeway, takes people to two mountain stages - the first phase takes to Kongdori bowl at a height of 2,650 m (8,694 ft) and second phase soars to Apharwat at a height of 3,980 m (13,058 ft). Kashmir tourism's recovery had been slow this year after the Pahalgam attack in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed by terrorists in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam on April 22. Many, including chief minister Omar Abdullah, had pinned their hopes on weather to attract more tourists following the early snow activity in the Valley in early October. But that was before the suicide blast in a car that was driven by a Kashmir doctor in Delhi on November 10 and killed 12 people. Akib Chaya, president of Hoteliers' Club Gulmarg and joint secretary of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said, "Tourists are showing confidence. Gulmarg and Srinagar are doing well. So far, Pahalgam hasn't got anything major but with the timeline fixed for completion of the gondola in Pahalgam as well, we expect the winter activity there in the coming years." "For the past 6-7 months, we didn't even witness 10% of the bookings. People were not able to earn even their day to day expenses and taxi drivers were not able to pay their loan instalments," he said. Soon after the Pahalgam attack, there was an immediate flight of tourists out of the valley and the J&K government closed more than 50 tourist destinations in the UT. However, after a security review, around 28 places have been reopened in a phased manner "The winter preparedness started from the month of October. The Kongdori snow patrol team has been mobilised while a snow safety officer will also be arriving. Snow beater machines are in the process of being acquired. Major events are planned on Christmas and New Year," said Gulmarg tourism assistant director Tahir Wani. Kashmir witnessed back to back record tourist arrivals for the past three years. Last year, as per official numbers, 34.98 lakh tourists visited the himalayan valley, up from 31.55 lakh in 2023 and 26.73 lakh in 2022. This year, the numbers already had reached 6 lakh till the Pahalgam incident and the numbers after that have been in a few thousands....