Indian tourism waking up to its floral power

Beyond Aesthetics

Other regions are building complementary niches. Ladakh hosts its Apricot Blossom Festival for a week each April involving local communities, while Kerala’s Malarikkal transforms nearly 3,000 acres of paddy fields into water lily landscapes between June and October.

India is clearly waking up to floral power, an attraction other countries like Japan, Singapore, England, France and the Netherlands have long capitalised on.

“Demand for flower-centric travel is witnessing strong growth, particularly among domestic tourists. Indian travellers are increasingly seeking visually rich, short-duration experiences, driven largely by social media and a shift toward experiential travel,” said Rajiv Mehra, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality.

In Srinagar, the tulip garden, planted with nearly 18 lakh tulips across more than 70 varieties, alongside daffodils, hyacinths and narcissus, has anchored spring tourism since 2008. This year, it opened on March 16, and remained accessible for 33 days. “In Srinagar, the tulip season typically creates a sharp spike in travel activity, with demand building 30-45 days in advance as travellers plan trips around the bloom window,” said Bharatt Malik, senior vice-president, air and hotel business, Yatra Online.

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was optimistic of the state’s floriculture potential, saying at the inauguration of the garden this March: “This will be a new start for those associated with the tourism industry. We hope people from outside come and enjoy the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Authorities are also attempting to stretch the tourism calendar. A chrysanthemum garden near Dal Lake, spread over 12.5 acres, is being positioned as an autumn counterpart, while a second tulip garden in Sanasar Valley in Jammu with over 2 lakh flowers, signals a broader push to deepen the offering.

“Kashmir has always been in the forefront of bringing nature lovers face to face with natural beauty,” said Bengaluru-based Zubia Ahmad, who grew up in Srinagar. “Because the blooms are short-lived, it adds to the charm… of course as footfalls increase, it helps local businesses as well.”

Tulips have captured public imagination to such an extent that even Delhi has scaled up its tulip displays, expanding from 17,000 bulbs in 2017-18 to more than 5.17 lakh this year, planted at key locations across the city. On February 23, the fourth annual tulip festival was launched with the display stretching from Shanti Path to smaller clusters in Lodhi Garden, Central Park, and several roundabouts in Lutyens’ Delhi.

The Netherlands embassy also opens its doors to select invitees to celebrate the season’s blooms. “The bilateral cooperation in the floriculture sector extends beyond tulips to other flower varieties. In Tripura and Karnataka, two Indo-Dutch centres of excellence are being set up for cultivation of different flower varieties. West Bengal, Odisha and Mizoram have also shown interested to establish similar centres in floriculture.

Farmers in the region will receive training on advanced cultivation methods, marketing and post- harvest management in these centres from Dutch experts,” the Netherlands embassy told FE in an email response. “India and Netherlands have long collaborated for tulip cultivation, something which symbolises our strong diplomatic and cultural ties. We would love to name a new variety of tulip after a popular Indian personality,” Netherlands Ambassador to India, Marisa Gerards had shared with the media at an event at the Netherlands embassy in the national capital in February.

For Meghalaya, the cherry blossom festival is its biggest event. “We will make it the biggest, the best. Festivals like these are truly important for our tourism sector,” said Chief Minister Conrad Sangma at the two-day festival in November 2025.
According to Malik of Yatra Online, events like cherry blossom festival have consistently driven a rise in enquiries and bookings, and this year domestic interest in the region has been stronger overall.

Travel companies say the trend reflects a broader global shift. “Flower tourism is emerging as a global travel trend, driven by travellers seeking immersive, seasonal and visually rich experiences,” said Rajeev Kale of Thomas Cook India, adding that travellers are planning well in advance to capture short bloom windows.

SD Nandakumar of SOTC Travel noted that the segment is “expanding into newer and diverse geographies,” spanning destinations from lavender fields in France to India’s Valley of Flowers and Sikkim’s blooms.

Global Ambitions

“India has immense untapped potential in this space, especially in regions like the Northeast, where destinations such as Shirui Lily Festival, Dzukou Valley, and orchid trails across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh can offer distinctive seasonal experiences,” added Malik of Yatra Online.

However, Mehra rues that unlike Japan’s globally recognised cherry blossom season, Indian flower festivals are undermarketed. “A large of number of Indians go to Japan for the cherry blossoms, even though it is an expensive trip. We lack a unified approach in India for such events, which are at best regional rather than being positioned as part of a larger national tourism narrative,” he added.

To address this, Mehra advocates a coordinated national strategy combining staggered bloom calendars, integrated itineraries and global promotion. “Destinations should be packaged into integrated circuits… we can also hold music and literature events to offer a complete package to sustain tourist flow for longer phases.”