Kashmir Tourism Sees Minor Uptick Ahead Of Amarnath Yatra

Kashmir tourism has begun to bounce back ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, which will begin here from July 3.

Hoteliers and travel agents in Kashmir have reported an uptick in business, which had taken a major hit after the militant attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in the death of 26 tourists. The rush has increased to Pahalgam, particularly ahead of the 38-day-long Amarnath yatra for which the authorities have made strong security arrangements.

While the multi-tier security has been put in place along the pilgrimage routes, authorities have also declared the yatra tracks as no-fly zones and suspended the helicopter services for pilgrimage this year.

Waseem Burza, 32, a hotelier in Pahalgam, said that the occupancy in his hotel was nearly 20 per cent for several weeks in the month of June, and has now doubled to 40 per cent.

“A lot of locals also visited Pahalgam in June due to summer vacations in schools. The hotel occupancy has increased, which is due to a good presence of non-local tourists here ahead of the Amanath yatra,” he said.

Authorities have said that they have made foolproof arrangements for the smooth yatra. “It is our top priority to ensure that devotees complete their pilgrimage with ease and their stay is safe and comfortable,” Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, said on Sunday while reviewing the arrangements of the yatra.

Earlier, while addressing a press conference in Raj Bhawan the Lieutenant Governor said that the security grid has been strengthened with multi-layer security in place, and the army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), J&K Police have ensured all necessary measures for a safe pilgrimage.”

Burza, who is also a member of Pahalgam Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association (PHROA), said that at the inventory of over 12,000 rooms, which includes hotels, guest houses, and homestays, the occupancy in June was over 25 per cent.

Farooq Kuthoo, former president of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), said that before the April 22 militant attack, properties were sold out in Kashmir. He said that there was, however, a zero per cent tourist footfall this year in May, while in June it was 15 to 20 per cent.

“There are a very small number of pilgrims who go for sightseeing or put up in Srinagar hotels. They mostly go for a yatra and stay in Sonamarg. But what we have seen is the tourist footfall beginning to go up ahead of the yatra,” said Kuthoo.

Fayaz Bakshi, the secretary general of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said that Kashmir tourism was doing “great before the Pahalgam attack.”

“Kashmir used to have a 90-day tourism period generally, but for the last three years before the Pahalgam attack, the hotels were almost full for the entire year, and the tourism season stretched even up to 200 days. It was all lost after the attack, but now, from mid-June, we have seen some bookings, and there is a daily arrival of 2,000 to 3,000 people in Kashmir and the occupancy in some hotels has even remained at 35 per cent.”