The Covid-19 pandemic, along with the shutdown following abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, dealt a severe blow to tourism in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The number of tourists to Jammu and Kashmir stood at about 25.04 lakh (nearly 25 lakh domestic tourists and 5,056 foreign tourists) this year till June 2020, according to Ministry of Tourism data.
As per the provisional data shared, 1.62 crore visitors came to Jammu and Kashmir in the full year 2019. Of these, about 1.61 crore were domestic and 57,920 people were foreign tourists. The number of visitors to Jammu and Kashmir is also lower compared to 2018, when the tourist numbers stood at over 1.72 crore, including 1.70 crore domestic and over 1.39 lakh foreign visitors.
However, there are signs of the tide gradually turning after the government opened the Union Territory for tourism now, according to industry players. Several tourists visited Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam—the three main destinations in the Valley that are a favourite among tourists—and bookings and inquiries by visitors, especially for the winter months, have witnessed a slow but steady increase over the last few weeks.
“Unlock Kashmir” is a movement started by the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department, to promote the tourism activities in the Valley. After 15 months, tourism activities have started in the Valley, tourists are reaching Srinagar after Diwali.
Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo, president of Travels Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), is among those optimistic about the prospects. “Some movement has started as positive news has gone out and the Tourism Department has started different activities. So, people’s interest in travelling to Kashmir is increasing and we are hopeful that we will at least have some traffic for the winter season if not cent percent revival,”
As many as 2,238 tourists have arrived in the Valley during the last two weeks and the travel queries are on a rise. Tour operators from outside the Valley, who are accompanying groups of tourists, are optimistic for revival of tourism in the valley.
Satish Shah, owner of Mumbai-based Pooja Tours and Travels, who is presently in the Valley accompanying a group of 90 tourists from Maharashtra, said that all protocols related to Covid-19 such as “wearing of face-masks and sanitisation of hotels are being followed”.
Mumbai-based operator Satish Shah launched a campaign by the name of “Unlock Kashmir’ and kept encouraging people to visit the Valley. There is demand for domestic tourism as there are still restrictions on international tourism and travel; the “worst downturn” in Kashmir’s tourism sector of late was witnessed after the February 2019 Pulwama attack and more recently after the outbreak of Covid-19, which even led to job losses in the hospitality sector. However, Shah said the fresh snowfall in upper reaches, especially Gulmarg, has “sent out a positive message to prospective tourists”. Shah has been promoting Kashmir tourism for the last 25 years. He is the first tour operator who reached Kashmir Valley with the group of 100 tourists to valley in the last 15 months.
Jammu Kashmir Tourism Department director Nisar Wani said: “We are promoting Jammu and Kashmir in various parts of the country. We are doing road shows; due to Covid and the lockdown, tourism has been badly affected in the valley. We are hopeful for revive in tourism in the next two months.”
Gulmarg assistant tourism director Javed Rehman said that from October, domestic tourists are visiting Gulmarg. Due to fresh snowfall, every day 300 tourists are visiting Gulmarg. “We are organising a winter festival and Khelo India to Gulmarg.”
Sultan Shaikh said that Kashmir has been badly affected in the last 15 months, and now “we are hopeful to revive the tourism sector. Every year, 60% Gujaratis, 20% Maharashtrians and 10% Bengalis visit the Valley. We are wooing the Gujarat and Maharashtra tour operators to the Valley.”
Chandrkant Gala and his wife are in Kashmir for the first time, visiting various tourist places of Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Gulmarg. Gala said they feel safe in Kashmir. “It’s really heaven on earth. During 8 months of lockdown, my wife was fed up sitting at home; so, we decided to visit Kashmir.”
Like Gala, another Mumbai resident Sanjay Parmar visited Kashmir with his wife Manju. Parmar said that they visited Kashmir in the 1980s for honeymoon. They stayed here for one month. Kashmir has not changed over a period of time, he said. After more than two decades, they visited the valley, but its beauty is still as pristine as ever. Sanjay and his wife visited the valley with pooja tours and travels.
Parmar said: “All members of our family were working from home; so, I thought of visiting Kashmir in winter. Here, there is no fear of Covid-19, unlike in Mumbai.”