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Srinagar: If you are planning a holiday in Kashmir this summer, make arrangements at least a week ahead of the scheduled arrival, as hotels and houseboats in the paradise on earth are hard to get by these days.

Hotels, lining the boulevard road along the banks of world famous Dal Lake, are running at cent per cent occupancy with a strong influx of tourists – mostly domestic – probably buoyed by a significant change in security scenario.

"I have a friend coming over from Delhi and he had requested me to make arrangements for his stay. But to my utter surprise, there is not a single room available in the hotels along the Dal lake," said Tahir Hussain, a local resident.

Hussain said the dozen odd hotels he checked had no rooms, as there was a heavy inflow of tourists from all over the country.

"Even the houseboats are running at near capacity these days. Luckily, I managed to find a room in a houseboat for my friend," he added.

With the increase in demand, the hoteliers and houseboat owners have also decided to make hay while the sun shines. The accommodation charges have nearly doubled with the onset of tourist season.

The rate for a standard room at a two and three star hotel along the Dal Lake is in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500, as against the Rs 600 to Rs 900 charged in 2002.

PTI