After Tuesday’s terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir hotels are experiencing a large number of booking cancellations, which, according to locals, will significantly impact the tourism industry.
Gunmen killed at least 26 individuals, primarily tourists from various regions of the country, in Baisaran meadow, commonly known as ‘mini Switzerland’.
Security agencies have released sketches of three men believed to be connected to the brutal assault. The Resistance Front (TRF), a covert group linked to the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, took responsibility for the attack.
Baisaran Valley, located merely 5 km from the hill town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district of South Kashmir, is among the region’s most beloved tourist spots. The valley is encircled by snow-covered peaks, thick deodar woods, and vast lush pastures. It draws in thousands of tourists annually.
Baisaran has also been portrayed as a setting in numerous Bollywood movies, as it resembles the European countryside with its vast grassy meadows, alpine foliage, and snow-covered landscapes. This is the peak tourist season for Kashmir.
“At least five-six lakh tourists are in Kashmir at the moment. Hotels in the region were sold out for the season. All our 300 rooms were sold out. Every call is only to cancel a booking. There are cancellations after cancellations. Since yesterday, the cancellations alone have cost us Rs 50 lakh. Such an act in tourist season will hit us hard,” a hotelier from Kashmir told News18.
“After the attacks, the only thing people are focusing on is going home. The roads are shut, so they are looking for available flights,” he added.
On Wednesday, from 6 am to noon, the Srinagar airport managed 20 departures carrying 3,337 passengers in total, according to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has provided firm directives to all airline operators against increasing airfares, he noted.
Meanwhile, an Inspector General-led team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived in terror-stricken Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday, according to official sources. The squad would offer support to the local authorities investigating the assault.
