At a time when the Himalayan valley had begun a booming tourist season riding high on the influx of visitors for the previous three years, the attack on tourists in pahalgam has caused terror among thousands of tourists present in the Valley and concerned the tourism stakeholders.  The tourist resort of pahalgam in south kashmir was crowded with visitors, and as word spread about the terror attack on tourists in the isolated and gorgeous Baisaran, there was a surge of dread among them. 

Many chose to quickly cancel their travel plans and depart, while others hurried back to their hotels.
 
Rakesh Sharma made the decision to end his journey right away. He had been traveling with his family from delhi to the Valley for the last four days.  The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which he would have taken to get to Jammu, has been closed for the last three days because of landslides brought on by the rains in Ramban.
 
It's simply unbelievable. Whether or not others stay is irrelevant to me.  I wish to avoid taking any chances.  All I want to do is go back home," he murmured.

Their tour operator made the decision to relocate the family to srinagar, the J&K summer capital, which is about 90 kilometers from pahalgam, in order to calm them down.  We'll make an effort to allay the family's worries.  They can choose to depart by air or remain in srinagar until things improve," he said.
 
He claimed that a large number of Baisaran visitors had been moved to Pahalgam.  

Over the last three years, kashmir has had consecutive record-breaking tourist arrivals.  The number of visitors to the Himalayan valley increased to 34.98 lakh last year from 31.55 lakh in 2023 and 26.73 lakh in 2022.  The figure has already surpassed 6 lakh this year. 

Many tourists have begun to migrate from pahalgam to srinagar, according to Gowhar Maqbool, president of the kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Owners Association.  "I have asked all of my members to assist them in any way they can.  We are all going to be put to the test.  Let's demonstrate our dedication to the noble cause of humanity.  Additionally, to all other travelers who are having trouble because of the road shutdown," he remarked. 

According to the tourism industry, the attack has immediately hit pahalgam tourism, and by the evening or tomorrow, when the word gets out, there will be repercussions throughout the Valley.
 
"I have cancellations already.  Through Katra Jammu, a family was traveling from south India.  They decided to go back right away," stated Sajad Ahmad, a Srinagar-based tour operator.

According to a srinagar hotelier, the Valley is already in a frenzy.  "The tourists in srinagar have already gotten uneasy, even if the news hasn't fully circulated among them yet.  The travel season will undoubtedly be greatly impacted by this," he stated.
 
Manzoor Ahmad, a tourism taxi driver who was in Sonamarg, central kashmir, with a party of forty tourists, expressed concern about the attack's potential effects.
 
Half of the tourists will be back by tomorrow.  In the next several days, kashmir would be nearly deserted," he said.
 
But according to tour operator Sajad Ahmad, many involved in the tourist industry are crossing their fingers.  

This season, kashmir was nearly sold out as well.  This can affect the season for a while, but based on prior performance, it always recovers," he remarked.
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SIBY JEYYA

23/04/2025 08:14 AM