As Kashmir’s peak tourism was engulfed by street protests and unprecedented anti-government rallies this year, tourist arrivals have gone down from the figure last year, resulting in loss to the tune of Rs. 3,000 crore.
Official data suggest that if three lakh tourists visited between July and September in 2015, fewer than 10 per cent of it arrived this year during the corresponding period.
Next to nothing“Most properties in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Yousmarg and other destinations have 2-4 per cent occupancy, which ought to have been 90-100 per cent around this time of the year,” said Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary, Managing Director of the J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC).
According to the Tourism Department spokesman, the current civilian unrest, in which 85 civilians were killed and around 10,000 injured, has struck a major dent to the development infrastructure projects in the tourism sector.
“Several film teams scheduled to be in Kashmir for shooting during summer changed their location too. Most of the major infrastructure projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Plan (PMDP) have also come to a halt,” said the spokesman.
Tourism destinations and hotels, officials said, have been worst affected as most hotels are left with zero occupancy in both private and government sector.
Economy hitOfficials pegs the loss at around Rs. 3,000 crore due to the unrest to the industry. “People associated with tourism trade apprehend that the prevailing situation could adversely affect the tourist arrivals during the next year as well with disastrous implications for the local economy,” said a government official.
Kashmir is in the throes of turmoil ever since militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in an operation on July 8
