Shripad Sabnis | Beyond the News
The brutal terrorist attack on tourists is not just an attack on innocent tourists but a direct attack on Kashmir’s cultural heritage, its soul and the livelihood of millions of Kashmiris. Every year, crores of tourists visit Srinagar for sightseeing. The people of Srinagar and Kashmir earn money from these tourists as tourism is their source of income.
Kashmir has a tourism industry worth about Rs 12,000 crore, which contributes 7 to 8 percent to the state’s GDP. It was expected to reach Rs 25,000 to 30,000 crore by 2030. But this attack has put a big brake on that development journey.
2.5 lakh jobs at risk : Tourism-related activities like hotels, houseboats, taxi services, guides, handicrafts are the source of livelihood of about 2.5 lakh people in Kashmir. More than 1,500 houseboats, more than 3,000 hotel rooms and cab services operating in Dal Lake may now be deserted. There has been a huge increase in booking cancellations after yesterday’s attack. From flight tickets to hotels, taxi bookings, everything is getting cancelled.
Eerie silence from Gulmarg to Dal Lake : Tourist destinations like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Dal Lake are visited by lakhs of tourists every year. In 2024, 2.36 crore tourists visited Kashmir, out of which more than 65,000 were foreigners. Gulmarg alone generated a revenue of Rs 103 crore. But now all these tourist centers are under the shadow of uncertainty.
Kashmir is not only a favorite place for tourists but also a favorite shooting destination for Bollywood and OTT producers. Apart from this, tourism has also been boosted by the increasing demand for destination weddings. But now the attack has started to put film units and wedding planners back on their feet.
A Brake on development? : The central government had planned a Rs 1000 crore plan for the development of Kashmir. Air connectivity was being improved, Vande Bharat train was going to be started and schemes like on-arrival visa were being introduced to attract foreign tourists. 75 new tourist destinations, heritage and religious places were also being developed. But a terrorist attack has now put a stop to all these efforts.
