A ray of hope has rekindled for the fledgling tourism sector first time after the Pahalgam terror attack. Pre-booking enquiries have surged significantly in the last few days. According to data from travel aggregator `ixigo’, tourists are showing renewed interest in visiting Kashmir ahead of the New Year. Srinagar has recorded over 100% month-on-month growth in December flight searches, topping the list of popular destinations. Dehradun and Jammu followed with 54% and 39% growth, respectively. The uptick comes after a difficult year for Kashmir tourism. The April 22 Pahalgam attack dealt a severe blow to tourism. Subsequent disruptions, including the Delhi bomb blast, dampened the industry’s recovery. Before April 22, the valley was fully sold out. Over 5,25 lakh tourists visited the valley in the first three months of 2025. These include 5,14,845 domestic and 10,427 foreign tourists. A record 2.35 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2024. Domestic tourist numbers shot up tenfold, from 25.19 lakh in 2020 to 2.35 crore in 2024. However, everything came crashing down on April 22 when terrorists unleashed a bloodbath in Pahalgam. For the last seven months, the number of tourists visiting Kashmir has reduced to a trickle. Hotels and houseboats remained vacant despite giving huge discounts. Come New Year, the tourism stakeholders are hoping for a full revival. However, everything depends on the snowfall. There has been moderate snowfall in the upper reaches, yet tourist destinations continue to face a dry spell. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is right when he says snowfall remains the biggest factor driving tourist footfall to the valley. Yet, MeT forecasts dry weather till December 15. Except for a few weak disturbances, there is no significant snowfall activity in sight. La Niña is still in its active phase. There is a hope that it will weaken from January. Snow is the biggest attraction for tourists visiting Kashmir in winter. White Christmas and New Year events are the icing on the cake. Skiing and winter sports activities also lure adventurers to Kashmir in winter. Snow can not only end the dry spell, but it will end the tourism drought as well. However, it cannot be the only factor to woo tourists. The government needs to make every effort to revive winter tourism. Tourist footfall will set the tone for summer as well. Earlier this year, Tulip Garden witnessed a record footfall. The government should start wooing tourists early for the 2026 Tulip festival. Winter carnival should also be revived to encourage tourists to visit the valley. Barring the Pahalgam attack, Kashmir has been peaceful. Our security forces have done a really good job of ensuring peace and tranquility. Our policymakers need to sell this factor to tourists across the country. Peaceful Kashmir is a recipe for economic boom.
Hopes rekindle
