Centre trying to minimise impact on J&K tourism after terror attack: Shekhawat

Union tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said the central government will work to minimise the impact on Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism sector following the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday that killed 26 people.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Shekhawat said, “Some people with nefarious intentions have tried to again incite separatism and terrorism in the Valley. My ministry is in continuous touch with the chief secretary and tourism secretary of the Union Territory (of Jammu and Kashmir) to closely monitor the situation. We are working with J&K and will do our best to minimise the dent on tourism because of the attack.”

The Resistance Front, a proxy terror group of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack at a crowded tourist place in Pahalgam, a key destination in south Kashmir.

The incident occurred at a time when J&K has been witnessing a steady rise in tourism and investment. Several leading tourism associations issued a joint statement condemning the attack and urged industry members to reassure their clients and agents. “We urge our members to communicate positively... Despite this challenge, we will continue to showcase our region’s beauty and resilience,” the statement read.

“Pahalgam was entirely packed, entire Kashmir was packed at the time of the attack. There wasn’t a single hotel that had vacant rooms. Now, we are left with nothing, but we need to show that we will not back down,” Shameem Shah, president of the Travel Agents Federation of India (Jammu Kashmir chapter), told HT.

According to official data, between January and early April, a total of approximately 5.24 lakh tourists visited Kashmir. In January, 1.51 lakh tourists arrived in the Valley, including 1.48 lakh domestic and nearly 3,600 foreign visitors.

February saw a slightly lower footfall of 1.47 lakh tourists, with 1.43 lakh Indian citizens and 4,116 foreigners. March recorded the highest number with 1.76 lakh visitors, out of which 1.74 lakh were domestic and 2,006 foreign. From April 1-7, about 49,544 tourists visited the UT, including 48,614 domestic and 930 foreign visitors.

According to the J&K Economic Survey 2024–25, the Union Territory’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) grew at 7.06% in real terms, maintaining a pace similar to the previous year’s 7.08%. Economic growth had rebounded strongly after negative growth in 2019–20 and 2020–21 following the abrogation of Article 370 and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the last three financial years, J&K’s GSDP growth has averaged 7.81%, slightly above the national average of 7.77%.