Mission Kashmir

Saving this tourist season is the best reply govt can give terrorists and their masters across the border 

No part of India should remain disturbed, especially a large frontier region facing a hostile neighbour. And just seven days ago – till the morning of April 22 – J&K was looking more “normal” than it has in decades. Terror attacks had reduced to about a third from their peak in 2018. Tax revenues had more than doubled in the same period. Investment in the eight years from 2014 to 2021 had never touched ₹900cr. But in 2022-23, it crossed ₹2,150cr, and likely reached ₹5,000cr last fiscal. Along the way, J&K also got a democratically elected govt. As Modi said on Sunday, “Democracy was getting stronger…people’s income was increasing, new opportunities were being created.”

But Pahalgam has cast a cloud over the future. Reports say 60-90% of tourist bookings across Kashmir have been cancelled. A hotel association has claimed 13L cancellations for Aug alone. While tourism certainly is not the main meter of normalcy for most states, it matters a lot in J&K. It is, after all, one of the UT’s biggest industries, accounting for roughly 8.5% of income. Drill down, and its significance for Kashmir, specifically, becomes apparent. During 2021-24, tourist arrivals in the Jammu region grew about 90%, but in Kashmir they jumped 425% – from 6.7L to 35L. This was a massive vote of confidence for Kashmir from the rest of India. And also from foreign tourists, whose numbers grew from just 1,614 in 2021 to 43,654 last year. 

That’s why, govt must do everything to ensure Kashmir does not fall off India’s tourist map for even one season. Kashmiri livelihoods are at stake, but equally, it’s a question of increasing people-to-people contact via tourism to integrate those who feel alienated. It’s also about our national resolve – we can’t let five terrorists push Kashmir back six years. The 2025 tourist season isn’t lost yet. Summer break is still some weeks away, and the Amarnath Yatra doesn’t start until July. 

Last year, over 3L tourists had visited Pahalgam by the end of April, and this year was looking even better until last week’s killings and the tourist exodus. But some tourists have already shown courage to return to Pahalgam’s sites. Kashmir, meanwhile, has wholeheartedly condemned last week’s attack, showing where its sympathies lie. If govt seizes this moment to rebuild confidence in security arrangements – minus the overreach that inconveniences ordinary people – tourists will follow.