Kashmir’s tourism in crisis. 90% bookings cancelled since April 22

By: Rehan Qayoom Mir

Srinagar: A month-long slump in tourism activities across Jammu and Kashmir has affected the people associated with the sector badly, with the stakeholders saying it has now become difficult for them to even manage the daily expenses.

The tourism activities started declining soon after 26 innocent people, mostly tourists, were killed by the terrorists in Baisaran area of Pahalgam on April 22, 2025.

The houseboat owners, tour operators, Shikara owners and cab drivers are expecting revival of the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Gowhar Ahmad, a houseboat owner from Dal Lake Srinagar, said that since the attack in Pahalgam, their bookings have been severely affected.

“The Dal Lake is deserted, as the usual bustle of tourists is surely missed. Our houseboats are almost empty, with about 90 per cent of our bookings cancelled; there are no new bookings even for ordinary days,” he said.

Ahmad added, “We are hopeful that the middle of June and the month of July will bring better days and bookings will resume. We are facing huge losses.

He said that during this time of year, their houseboats used to be fully occupied, but this year, they are nearly empty. Currently, there are only about five per cent of tourists in the valley, Ahmad added.

Zahid Ahmad, a tour and travel operator, said the Pahalgam attack has cast a long shadow over the operations. “Clients who were supposed to visit Kashmir have cancelled their bookings, and there are no fresh bookings at this time,” he said, adding that restoring confidence among tourists will take time and coordinated efforts.

Ghulam Mohammad, a Shikara owner, said each day he waits for tourists. “But nobody comes,” he lamented. “The lake is quiet, and so is my livelihood. We yearn for the days when laughter and joy filled these waters.”

Mohammad said earlier they didn’t even have time for lunch. Now, we sit idle, longing for the days when we had people to ferry in our shikaras, he said.

Zubair Ahmad, a cab driver, said that earlier, they used to get at least two trips to Pahalgam or Gulmarg every two days. “But since the attack, there’s hardly any work. Tourists are scared, and most days, we sit idle. It’s becoming difficult to even manage our daily expenses,” he said.

He added, “We have loans and EMIs hanging over our heads, and now we are worried about how to pay them. For the past month, we have been in depression, waiting for tourists while our vehicles remain parked at the stands.”

The hoteliers said the tourism activities have been badly affected. “We have hardly been attending guests since the Pahalgam attack. We expect an improvement in the situation and revival of tourism activities at the shortest possible time so that the stakeholders could heave a sigh of relief,” a hotelier said. —(KNO)