Hotels in Srinagar and Sonamarg are seeing occupancies of about 20% after hitting zero following the April 22 terror attack until the last month, according to Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya, president of Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Association and chairman and founder of Mushtaq Group of Hotels.
“Gulmarg and Pahalgam are still struggling,” he said.
Travel industry associations and hoteliers are hopeful of a revival even though the authorities are yet to open some of the important tourist destinations that were among 48 destinations closed for security reasons across Jammu & Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack.
“While corporates remain cautious due to legacy security concerns, smaller, high-value groups have begun hosting closed-door strategy meets, reward trips, and leadership retreats in the valley,” said Ved Khanna, board member at Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH).
Chaya said a life insurance major has booked about 100 rooms at the Radisson Collection Hotel & Spa in Srinagar “a few days ago” while a private bank has an ongoing event in the city. “We are also participating in roadshows in locations such as Kolkata and Ahmedabad to boost tourism prospects,” he said.Tourist arrivals in Kashmir fell over 50% during the January-June period this year to 753,856 from 1,565,851 a year earlier. The sharp decline in tourist arrivals has pushed tour operators into uncertainty. Bulging loans and maintenance costs of vehicles lying idle are adding to frustration.
However, they are hopeful that current “15-20% occupancy” may increase to over 50% in the autumn and further in the winters to help them reach a break-even in running costs.
Nikhil Sharma, MD and CEO, South Asia, at Radisson Hotel Group, said booking queries are gradually picking up.
“Destinations like Srinagar continue to witness regular walk-ins, and we expect stronger demand to follow in the coming weeks,” he said. “The region is also seeing the return of key tourism-related events, conferences, and on-ground activity, which is a strong indicator of confidence among stakeholders.”
Sharma was one of the attendees of the July 8 tourism conference held in Srinagar by the tourism ministry that brought together tourism secretaries from Union Territories across India.
Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to chief minister Omar Abdullah, told ET that there is a calendar full of activities like festivals and tournaments for the rest of the year to attract tourists. “We are also traveling in different parts of the country to encourage people to visit Kashmir,” he said.
Wani said several tourist destinations have been opened and others would also be opened soon after completing “security audit necessitated by the Pahalgam attack.”
Gurez and Betaab Valley were opened recently but Dodh Pathri circuit in Budgam and Aru Valley in Pahalgam are still closed.
Also, with the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, the security restrictions across Kashmir Valley, especially in Pahalgam and Sonamarg, are extremely discouraging for any tourist to plan a visit to these areas, at least till the yatra is complete in August.
There are severe restrictions on movement of pilgrims and tourists outside Srinagar city. Tourists and yatris were seen arguing with and in some cases protesting the police and paramilitary forces when they were directed to not travel towards Srinagar city from Sonamarg or Pahalgam in the evening hours or without a security convoy.
