Srinagar, 27 Nov — Tourist guides in Jammu & Kashmir are facing acute financial distress due to a sustained decline in tourist arrivals over the past year, the President of the Guides Association of Jammu and Kashmir, Mohammad Maqbool, has said.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar today, Maqbool said hundreds of licensed guides—most of them freelancers—are finding it increasingly difficult to manage basic household expenses, including children’s school fees and medical costs. “Tourist guides have been suffering for the last one year. There is hardly any work, and most of us are struggling to keep our families afloat,” he said.
Maqbool alleged that despite repeated appeals, the government has shown little sensitivity to their worsening situation. “The Tourism Department has not paid attention to our woes. Even the Tourism Minister, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seems to be sleeping on this issue,” he said.
Adding to their frustration, Maqbool claimed that several guides who provided services during the G20 events held in Kashmir are still awaiting payment for nearly one week of wages. “It is shocking that those who worked tirelessly to support a globally significant event have not been paid till today,” he said.
The Guides Association has urged the government to announce an immediate relief package, release pending payments, and introduce a structured social security mechanism for freelance workers in the tourism sector.
Tourism stakeholders say prolonged uncertainty and uneven tourist inflow have hit multiple segments of the sector, with guides being among the most vulnerable.
Maqbool said the association is preparing to submit a formal memorandum to the Tourism Department seeking urgent intervention.
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