Kashmir's tourism industry comes to a grinding halt

SRINAGAR

Ahouseboat owner gazes across the serene waters of Dal Lake, his cheek resting against a wooden pillar. After a moment, he breaks his silence. “Nobody can stop tourists from coming to Kashmir,” he says. “They’ll return soon and make this lake a beautiful garden again.”

Dal Lake, spanning 20sqkm, is framed by snow-capped mountains and white clouds under the blue sky. “A thousand yellow shikaras once paraded the lake,” says Yousuf, a shikara operator, counting the few remaining boats. “Now, there are less than 10.” Most shikaras are docked, their operators looking for the rare local visitor.

Latief Ahmad Goona, a houseboat owner, explains how the Pahalgam attack hit people like him. “Tourists were in disbelief, but their relatives urged them to leave,” he says. “Within three days, nearly all shikaras were docked.” Goona’s four houseboats, with 12 rooms priced at Rs6,000 a night each, are empty. “I refunded 60 customers, and there are no new bookings.”

The attack in Pahalgam, 100km from Dal Lake, virtually shut down tourism across Kashmir. In Sonamarg, 200km from Pahalgam, a restaurant manager named Chandan reports a 90 per cent drop in tourist activity. Gulmarg, known for its cable cars and snowy peaks, faces a similar slump.

Before the attack, 10,000 tourists visited Kashmir a day. The absence of tourists post the attack has crippled hotels, homestays, pony handlers, taxi drivers, houseboat owners, shikara operators and artisans. Says Abdul Rashid Magray, an embroiderer, while working on a pashmina shawl, a three-month project that will earn him Rs23,000: “Tourism was booming; we expected a profitable summer. This collapse is unprecedented.” His cousin, Shamim Ahmad Magray, says that 20 of 58 embroidery orders were cancelled, forcing them to reduce their workforce from 12 to 6.

In Dhanihama village, Mohammad Ashraf Dar tends to 75 beehives. He expects 500kg honey this month but is now worried about the dropping demand. “We sold honey to tourists through retailers and taxi drivers, but there are none now,” he says. The attack has also dampened local spending, further impacting his business.

The Pahalgam attack has badly hit Kashmir’s economy. Hotelier Firdous Shaala reports a 98 per cent drop in the number of tourists. “Our hotels were booked until mid-June, but we refunded everyone,” he says. “No travel agent gets calls anymore.”

Before the attack, Kashmir’s tourism was thriving, with record-breaking expectations for 2025. Mushtaq Ahmad, a pony handler, recalls trekkers visiting Krishansar and Gangabal lakes. “Now, these places are closed,” he says.

In Srinagar, artisan Nasir Ahmad Mir, 60, works in a paper mache workshop. “We received a Rs30,000 order before the attack, but none since,” he says. Retail shops, reliant on tourists, have stopped purchasing. Mir’s workshop supplies 10 per cent of Kashmir’s paper mache products. The industry exports goods worth more than Rs50 crore a year.

Kashmiri saffron, however, remains resilient. “Our strong supply chain has not been disrupted,” says Syed Sami, a saffron producer. While Pahalgam’s Laribal village sells 10kg a month to visitors, most saffron is exported.

All eyes are on the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, with base camps in Sonamarg and Pahalgam. Locals say preparations are under way, and enhanced security could boost tourism, though not to expected levels.