Tourism, J&K’s mainstay, counts Pahalgam wounds | India News
SRINAGAR: A pall of gloom has descended on J&K’s tourism after Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam, with most stakeholders fearing dark days after a heady season of record footfalls was cut short by the carnage.
One of those with furrowed brows was Yaseen Khan, an office-bearer of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF). “This gruesome attack has severely tarnished our image. We are shocked and our grief is beyond expression,” Yaseen said on Wednesday, barely able to conceal his worries.
The massacre occurred at a time when J&K — Kashmir in particular — was witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals, with the region’s natural beauty drawing visitors from the country and across the globe. The attack reignited concerns about safety, potentially deterring future visitors and impacting livelihoods of countless locals dependent on tourism.
Most operators couldn’t see light at the end of the tunnel, though some stressed the fact that lives mattered more than livelihoods. “This attack is highly condemnable. While the monetary losses to the tourism sector can be repaired, the loss of lives, especially those of our guests, is irreparable,” said Babar Chowdhary, President of Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (Khara).
While such sentiments hold, the bloody turn of events has left many small-time operators worried about how they would put food on the table for their families. One of them was Zameer Hussain Bhat, who rows a boat on Srinagar’s Dal Lake. “Tourists have already started leaving the Valley,” Zameer said, the consternation in his voice coming through clearly.
At Dal — a favourite with visitors in Srinagar — most houseboat owners believed the tourist season had been “spoiled”. The boat-owners were not the only ones awash in pessimism, though. Tahir Ahmad, who had taken a shop on lease in the area in hopes of catering to the swelling throngs of visitors, feels the same. “My hopes for a better life have been dashed,” Tahir said.
Taxi driver Farooq Ahmad Bhat stared dolefully at his cellphone that had been buzzing incessantly until a few days ago and his vehicle that had been zipping across the Valley with tourists. “Most bookings have been cancelled. Life is going to be difficult,” Farooq said.
On Wednesday, Traders Association of Kashmir joined others in calling a shutdown against the Pahalgam attack and expressing solidarity with the victims’ kin.
