Indian Kashmir sees ‘highest ever tourist arrivals’ after pandemic slump

‘There is a huge rush for bookings,’ one tourism operator in the region famed for its lakes and mountains says – welcome news after some lean years

Operators say uncertainty about international travel amid the coronavirus pandemic has led high-end Indian tourists to choose Kashmir over European destinations

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Tourists pose on “shikara” boats on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir. The region is seeing a tourism boom following a slump because of insecurity and the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:15pm, 7 Apr 2022

India’s Kashmir region is attracting record numbers 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, with more than 340,000 tourists having come since January, local tour operators and government officials say, 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. But for the second year in a row, visitors have been flooding back.

“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 that April arrivals could surpass March.

Tourists ride “shikari” boats on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir. Photo: Reuters

Along with horticulture and agriculture, tourism is an important industry for Kashmir, contributing about 7 per cent to its economy, according to government data.