Pahalgam Terror Attack Triggers Mass Cancellations, Devastates Kashmir’s Tourism Sector

Pahalgam Terror Attack: The tourism sector in the Valley has been rather steadily recovering, particularly since 2018, and is regarded as the most essential gage for "normalcy" in Jammu and Kashmir-the attack on Tuesday in Pahalgam could be regarded as the nail in the coffin for that sector.

Officials and stakeholders say terrorists had timed the onslaught just to coincide with the peak tourist season in the Valley — when the flower-laden meadows and Mughal gardens attract countless visitors to witness spring. The incident also took place at a site etched in every tourist's itinerary–Pahalgam in South Kashmir. Pahalgam holds significance for many reasons; it is one of two routes leading to the Amarnath cave, which draws millions of pious visits every year, plus it shelters the Baisaran pine forest–an eminently trekkable region.

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The incident, the insiders in the industry say, will have a very serious impact on the business, which was recovering from the long shadow of terrorist attacks. Mr. Rauf Tramboo, president of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir, described the attack as a "huge blow". He noted that the last few years saw a growth in the sector owing to a "peaceful situation"; now "we are already receiving queries on cancellations from businesses and consumer partners".

The ripples, stakeholders say, will be felt all over the Valley since the sector employs thousands-from those who ply shikaras to hotel staffs.

The centre has actively promoted J&K as a tourist-friendly destination. Srinagar hosted the third G20 tourism working group meeting in May 2023, with at least 60 foreign delegates attending the event under a multi-tiered security set-up.

A new policy introduced in the past few years to encourage the hosting of events in Kashmir, along with a film policy for shooting films in J&K, has also been developed.

Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha described tourism numbers as a "key indicator" of peace. "Secessionism and terrorism will have no future in J&K," he said on April 19 in Srinagar. Earlier, he had said, “Jammu Kashmir mein aman, chain aur shanti, tourism ke raaste hi bahaal ho sakti hai (peace can only be restored in J&K through tourism).”

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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah testified last month in the Assembly that over 23 million tourists had visited J&K in 2024. As per the state tourism department, over 1.6 crore tourists had visited the state in 2018, the year before the abrogation of Article 370 and subsequent clampdown- out of which 8.3 lakh tourists were said to have visited Kashmir.

This number fell to 5.65 million (Kashmir) due to the lockdown and communications blockade in the Valley in 2019. Last year, the pandemic cut tourism numbers to Kashmir to a little over 41,000. However, post-Covid, numbers have steadily increased, with 2023 witnessing an influx of over 2 crore tourists, of which over 27 lakh were tourists to the Valley.

But before he took over as CM, Omar had struck a note of caution in May 2022, saying, “Tourism is not normalcy, it’s a barometer of economic activity. Normalcy is the absence of fear, the absence of terror, the inability of militants to strike at will, the presence of democratic rule and by any yardstick you choose to use, Kashmir is far from normal today.”

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