SRINAGAR, July 4: Sending a powerful message, the central government is all set to hold a two-day state tourism secretaries conference in Kashmir in a bid to offset the Pahalgam impact and instill confidence among tourists.
The two-day meeting will kick off on July 7 in Srinagar, and tourism secretaries from all the states are likely to participate. This is so far the biggest outreach of the Modi government to revive tourism in Kashmir.
An official said the Centre wants to send a message that there is no security crisis in Kashmir. “This is by far the biggest exercise to put the tourism sector back on track. After the April 22 attack, tourism came to naught. Slowly and steadily, the Centre and the UT government tried to instill confidence among tourists,” he said.
Earlier, top actors, judges, and tour operators descended on Kashmir to send a message. Judges of high courts and the Supreme Court, along with their families, roamed freely. Many visited Pahalgam, which was the epicenter of the April 22 terror attack.
Before April 22, Kashmir was bursting at the seams with tourists. Data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor reveals that 5,25,272 tourists visited the valley in just the first three months of 2025. This includes 5,14,845 domestic and 10,427 foreign tourists. Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar hosted 8.55 lakh visitors from March 26 to April 24.
Last year, 34.55 lakh visited the Kashmir region, up from 6.64 lakh in 2021 and 12.11 lakh in 2016. Gulmarg Gondola, a key attraction, saw over 7.68 lakh footfalls in 2024, generating Rs 103 crore in revenue.
“We have regained more than 12 percent of tourism. Tourists are coming and we hope that in the coming weeks, we will gain significantly,” Javed Tenga, President, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), told The Kashmir Monitor.
Kashmir Inc. is seeing the two-day conference as a major lever to put the valley back on the tourism map. “So many people and officials came to Kashmir, which gave us hope. It instilled confidence. Now, this conference too will send a message, and hopefully, tourists will make a beeline to Kashmir again,” said Tenga
Last month, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited Baisaran, the site of the terror attack, and praised the resilience and spirit of the Kashmiris. He also assured that foolproof security measures would be in place for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and tourists visiting the Valley.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also chaired a cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, a first of its kind, to send a clear message that violence has no place in Jammu and Kashmir.
“All these efforts have an underlying message that Kashmir is safe for tourists,” said an officer.