Winning back tourists' confidence will take time: Kashmir Chamber of Commerce
In the last three to four years, Kashmir witnessed a boom in tourism.;
Large number of tourists, both from different parts of India and abroad, started visiting Kashmir in the last three to four years. (Photo: 'X')
Guwahati, Apr 27: It will take quite some time for restoration of the confidence of tourists to visit Kashmir, admitted the tour operators of Kashmir in the aftermath of the brutal killing of 26 tourists by Pakistan-based terrorists in Pahalgam.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Farooq Kuthoo, who is the head of the tourism sub-committee of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, said, “We are in a state of shock. But I am still confident that with the support of the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir Government, we will be able to deal with the situation and bring gradual improvement.
Kuthoo said that there was hardly any flow of tourists in the 1990s when terrorism was at its peak and the economy was badly hit. But in the last three to four years, Kashmir witnessed a boom in tourism, and a large number of tourists, both from different parts of India and abroad, started visiting Kashmir.
Kuthoo revealed that at the time when the shocking attack took place, all the hotels of Kashmir were fully booked, and this year, Kashmir witnessed an unprecedented footfall of tourists, and the economy also improved considerably. Everyone almost forgot the days of terrorism when the gruesome incident took place, he pointed out.
Kuthoo said that immediately after the incident, a large number of tourists left Kashmir, and the hotel bookings have been cancelled.
This will badly hit the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, as a large number of people in the Union Territory depend on tourism, and new quality hotels have also come up. “But every person will be concerned about security before visiting Kashmir, and for us also, the security of the tourists is of foremost importance. Getting back the confidence of the tourists will definitely take some time,” he added.
Replying to a question, Kuthoo admitted that though there were a few isolated incidents when tourists came under attack, even at the peak of terrorism, no such major attack on tourists took place in Kashmir. The people of Kashmir are against such attacks, and they want the restoration of normalcy so that tourists can come to Kashmir and enjoy themselves without any apprehension, he added.
