Tourism in the celestial paradise of India has vanished ! Right after, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government’s issuance the security advisory to the tourists and the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to forbid their stay in Kashmir, the prevalent hustle bustle on the banks of the Dal Lake has gone and the touristic grace of Kashmir has left the Valley.
The advisory ordering the tourists to immediately leave the Kashmir Valley has caused a sense of anxiety among the tourists as well as the locals, for which the current situation of the state has been panicked.
Being disappointed by such sudden security alert, a couple who arrived there on Friday, with a week of holiday planning, had to leave for their home state urgently. Natasha, one of the tourists said, “We came here excitedly and were happy thinking of spending our vacation at Gulmarg but the order
has ruined the whole plan. Today we have to return with double the cost of the flight, which is really disappointing.”
The advisory has not only disappointed the tourists but also affected the business of the local retailers too. A 26-year-old Fayaz Ahmad who sells jewellery on his shikara to the visitors of the Dal Lake, closed his floating shop on Sunday. Being apprehensive he said, ” I don’t know when normalcy will return to Kashmir and I will float my shikara shop again in the lake. Five members of my family are dependent on me and I do not have any other business. Now I have no idea what I will do.”
Likewise, Irfan Ali, a shikara owner of the place said, “Ninety-seven per cent tourists have left the Valley and who have been scheduled to visit Kashmir in the coming days and weeks are cancelling their trips. Though we have two more months of tourist season still left with us, what we have lost can not be recovered now. ”
The case is same with all others as hundreds of shikaras, houseboats and hotels in the Kashmir Valley are lying vacant now. The locals are scared of what is going to happen and it is quite natural on the parts of the outsiders to feel the same.
On vacating the tourists and pilgrims from the state, Director of tourism, Nisar Ahmed Wani said, “Problem was neither from our side nor from those who are associated with the tourism industry. We pushed tourists to leave the Kashmir Valley. They were reluctant to leave even after the security advisory was issued by the authorities but we requested them to leave. Even after the security announcement on Friday, more than 100 tourist cars visited Gulmarg on the very next day.”
According to him, since the beginning of 2019 the state has been witnessing a good flow of tourists on its soil.
Till the end of July, a total number of 521,948 tourists have visited the valley while some 342,800 pilgrims performed the Amarnath pilgrimage which was scheduled to end on August 15.
Showing a concern for the state’s economy, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) President Sheikh Ashiq said, ” Sectors that are associated with the tourism industry such as handicrafts, transport will also suffer huge losses and lakh of people directly or indirectly associated the industry will suffer there by. The sudden evacuation of the tourists and the yatris will have a far-reaching impact on Kashmir’s economy.”
Again Kashmir’s economy has always been greatly encouraged by the Western World tourism undoubtedly. But following the government’s security advisory, Australia, Germany, the UK and many other important countries have issued travel advisories and asked their citizens to refrain from visiting Kashmir. The ongoing situation has badly damaged the tourism sector of the Valley.
Throwing some light on the history, in the year 2016, Kashmir had suffered more than 50 per cent decline in tourism in the wake of the killing of militant Burhan Wani, where in the process more than 95 civilians were killed, and thousands were injured.
