Kashmir Tourism

Jammu & Kashmir state (now Union territory) was affected by terrorism for three decades, and the economy of the region has gone to dogs. Tourism, which is considered the backbone of  J & K economy took the biggest toll due to terrorism during this time. When Central Govt removed the article 370 and Section 15 in August 2019,  the hope of revival of J & K economy started taking shape. But due to the onset of  Covid 19 in January 2020, the revival hopes vanished, as everyone’s interest shifted towards their own safety, hence the revival of the economy in J & K went on the slow lane.

With the respite in Covid cases in the latter half of 2019, there was a turnaround in J & K tourism sector, and this led to a steady rise in tourist footfall. The surge in tourist activities was primarily driven by changing itineraries of the domestic travelers. As they were confined in the country due to the restrictions on international travel. So Indians started visiting Kashmir valley for a change.

In the middle of last year, a glimmer of hope emerged on the horizon for the Kashmir tourism sector. The hope soon turned into a bonanza, with tourist footfall steadily increasing. By the autumn season was at its peak, Srinagar airport had set a new record of arrivals in the recent times, and the Kashmir region was hosting national and international Golf tournaments with hundreds of top golfers from the country and abroad participating. The year ended with the peak footfall of nearly 1.5 lakh arrival in December. Still, more than 6 lakh tourists visited Kashmir during the latter part of last year, still  there were uncertainties because of Covid 19, even though the economic situation was improving globally. Of the 6 lakh tourists, 99 percent were domestic tourists.

As per govt, it is the beginning of a new chapter, and they are confident that efforts to promote  Kashmir as a tourism destination and the involvement of local stakeholders played a key role in the turnaround. Apart from local tourists, there was a heavy flow of high end tourists. As per the people of Gulmarg, it is a good sign, for a long time local people were demanding that the political situation should be delinked from the tourism sector, as it concerns the livelihood of thousands of people.

Even though Kashmir has started showing on the itinerary of both high-end and budget tourists, the turmoil of the last three decades has stagnated the development of the tourism sector. According to sources, Kashmir can not accommodate more than 200,000 tourists on a single day.

The total tourist accommodation in Kashmir is about 62,550+ beds which includes all the hotels of A, B, and C categories and also Guesthouses and houseboats. Srinagar has the highest number of hotels in Kashmir. Gulmarg, one of the most known tourist destinations in Kashmir, has got 800 hotel rooms with a bed capacity of 1600. Pahalgam, the second most popular tourist destination, is better placed with 5000 hotel rooms with 10,000 bed capacity.

While the massive human efforts and an advertising campaign to attract tourists to Kashmir seem to bear in some fruits, there are still certain shortfalls, for which the administration is struggling. Sonmarg, one of the least explored destinations can not accommodate more than 1500 tourists on a single day. There are many other tourist destinations that are equally underdeveloped.

The uncontrolled airfares were and still are a big issue that can hamper the tourism flow to Kashmir. The govt took cognizance of it and trying to keep under control, so that more tourists can visit Kashmir. Sometimes, the cost of flying to Dubai from Delhi would be less than the cost of flying to Srinagar.

With the industry expanding gradually into the areas of adventure, religion, and cultural tourism, shining a light on the rich heritage and natural beauty of Kashmir, The administration needs to do more.

In this year’s budget, the Finance Minister has allocated Rs 786 Cr for the tourism sector in J & K. The intent of the massive budgetary allocation was to boost tourism and allied services in the region.

Now, with the improvement in Covid 19 situation, it is expected that this summer Kashmir will have a record number of tourists.

Hope improvement in the tourism sector will help in uplifting the economy in this union territory.

Waiting for your views on this blog.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

18^th April 202