Kashmir is attracting record number of tourists after the easing of pandemic restrictions and some improvement in the security situation, bolstering local businesses. Tourist arrivals are set to touch a 10-year high this year after more than 340,000 tourists have come since January, local tour operators and government officials said, despite restrictions on foreign tourists and some recent incidents of violence.
Tourism plunged in Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration stripped the region of its special status and autonomy in 2019, and later as the Covid-19 pandemic cut domestic and foreign tourist inflows. "We are seeing the highest-ever tourist arrivals in Kashmir this year with 0.18 million tourists arriving in March only," Sarmad Hafeez, Tourism Secretary for Jammu and Kashmir said, adding April arrivals could surpass March.
Along with horticulture and agriculture, tourism is an important industry for Kashmir, contributing about 7% to its economy, according to government data. Touting itself as "Paradise on Earth," Kashmir is home to Dal Lake, which was a favorite centuries ago for Mughal emperors escaping the summer heat of India's plains. The lake's famous houseboats are major attractions along with the nearby Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia's largest, and the region's mountains and glaciers.
Hafeez said an advertising campaign across major Indian cities and the opening of new destinations was attracting more tourists. Boatman Wali Mohammad Bhat, 54, said he had no work during the pandemic, "but, now I am earning 1,000 to 1,500 rupees a day and we expect a good tourist season ahead."
Many hoteliers and houseboat owners said tourists have booked rooms in advance for the next couple of weeks, and the earnings helped them to pay part of their debts. After a gap of years, hoteliers, taxi drivers and tour operators are doing a brisk business, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, 75, a tour operator in Srinagar said.
The rush is so strong that tour operators said they are having a hard time finding bookings for their clients as hotels are between 80% to 90% full and air fares have increased.
