Srinagar, July 23: From zero occupancy to 20 percent room inventory, hotels in Srinagar are seeing increasing footfalls first time since the Pahalgam attack.
“Finally, there is some relief for hotels in Srinagar and Sonamarg,” said Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya, president of Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Association. Although it remains low, at about 20%, the increase is a vast improvement from the drastic decline in the past few months.
Corporate tourism is reemerging. Wealthy groups and businesses are slowly planning discreet retreats and events. Lately, a big life insurance company booked about 100 rooms at a noted hotel.
Aware of the urgent need for aggressive outreach, the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Association is taking part in promotional road shows in main cities such as Kolkata and Ahmedabad. Those efforts are attempting to restore the reputation of the region as a safe and appealing travel destination, in the hopes of speeding recovery.
Tourism figures paint a grim picture of the economic consequences. A decline so sharp has put a huge strain on local tour operators, who are saddled with dormant fleets of vehicles, mounting loans, and ongoing maintenance costs.
But despite the current hard times, tour operators are optimistic. Occupancy rates, now around 15-20 per cent, are widely expected to beat 50 per cent by autumn, and haul themselves to viable levels in winter. The expected uptick spurred by the typically high tourism months might provide necessary relief for the cash-strapped businesses.
The resumption of major tourism-related conferences and events, like the recent tourism conference in Srinagar by India’s Ministry of Tourism, has shown rising confidence among stakeholders. The general feeling among industry leaders is one of cautious optimism, as booking inquiries have started to rise slowly and some meaningful events are finding their way back to the region.
Adviser to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Nasir Aslam Wani, however, sees little problem saying the government is aggressive with a full calendar of festivals, tournaments, and promotional tours to lure tourists throughout the year. Some tourist spots, such as Gurez and Betaab Valley, which had been opened recently, are part of efforts to revive tourism.
Existing Kashmiri visitors – mostly from Northern India – are benefiting from lower hotel rates. While respondents say such trips would be the last ones they’d book now, travel firms such as Discover Kashmir say queries for next season are already increasing, particularly from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and even southern Indian states, suggesting a wider geographic resurgence in tourist interest.
According to the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), the long-term promotional activities would be the key. “There is growing demand in the Corporate market for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) movements,” said IATO president Ravi Gosain.
IATO is actively working with the Jammu and Kashmir government to promote steps such as safety audits, influencer engagement, and the display of real-time visitor testimonials. (With TTW inputs)