A group of twenty-five tour operators from different states has arrived in Srinagar on a four-day familiarisation tour. Travel agents from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Kolkata will tour Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg over the next four days. The initiative is aimed at promoting `Kashmir as a safe destination for tourists. . Post-Pahalgam terror attack, the tourism industry in Kashmir has taken a huge hit. Before April 22, the valley was bursting at the seams with tourists. More than 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. The financial losses are running into hundreds of crores. The tourism industry is the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy. According to the Economic Survey, the tourism sector contributes between 7% and 8% to the J&K Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). With the total GSDP estimated at Rs 2.65 lakh crore, tourism accounts for Rs 18,500 crore to Rs 21,200 crore. There are more than 5000 registered hotels and homestays in Kashmir alone. The majority of them have had either no booking or less than 10 percent post-Pahalgam attack. Tourism stakeholders are pulling out all the stops to lure tourists back to Kashmir. The visit of the tour operators has spurred a new hope. Tourism operators are trying to promote Kashmir as a winter wonderland. White Christmas and New Year’s eve events may act as magnet to attract the tourists. Skiing and winter sports activities, too, may help in luring adventurers to Kashmir in winter. All of this depends on the success of the promotional activities. The Jammu and Kashmir government has a bigger role to play in restoring the confidence of the tourists. The government should go into a proactive mode to hard sell Kashmir to tourists for winter. Post-Pahalgam, the situation has been peaceful across Kashmir. There has been no major terror incident in the valley. J&K is as safe as any other part of the country. This message should be conveyed to the people across the country. The government has the resources to make it happen. Tourism operators have high hopes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Both central and state leaders need to redouble their efforts to save tourism industry of Kashmir.
Tourism revival
