Why Kashmir tourism is on tenterhook

But those who hoped it would increase the cold Tourism In the Valley, with Covid-19 cases across the country and indeed the world on the decline, one can be disheartened. a series of terrorist attacks on minorities The first half of October has scared off many potential visitors. In separate cases, four migrant laborers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have died, besides two teachers in a government school in Srinagar and a pharmacist from Srinagar. Describing themselves as ‘The Resistance Front’, a little-known group claimed responsibility.

Kamran Wani, a young businessman, runs Winterfell, a 50-room, four-star hotel on Boulevard Road in Srinagar. It is surrounded by Dal Lake on one side and Jabarwan Range on the other. This is a wonderful setting. The coffee shop at the hotel, which they started in 2016, is one of the trendiest in town, perhaps attracting many fans of the fantasy television series. game of Thrones—In the series, Winterfell is the capital of the Kingdom of the North.

When times are peaceful, occupancy at Winterfell Hotel is usually 100% all year round. “After the latest incidents of violence, occupancy has come down to 30%. Many bookings have been canceled over the next two months, while some long-stay guests at the hotel are about to leave,” he said. The couple is Bengaluru who were staying at my hotel for the past six months, doing day trips to different parts of Kashmir.” “But now they are worried and want to move out as soon as possible.”

It’s the same story with Yasin Tuman of Mascot Travels, whose family owns two houseboats on Srinagar’s Dal Lake, each with 10 rooms. He has been running the business since the death of his father Azim Tuman in 2018. “Around 20-30% of our bookings have been canceled in the next two months,” he said.

Many of the 910 houseboats on Srinagar’s Dal and Nigeen lakes, where accommodation was almost impossible without prior booking till the end of September, are now partially vacant. Clearly, fears of another slowdown in the hospitality businesses in the Valley are back, although tourists are rarely the target of any political violence.

Varsha Barghav, a visitor at Dal Lake, said, “There is no real threat to tourists in Kashmir. Not a single tourist has been attacked, let alone killed. But when there are reports of others being killed. So it is natural. Call for parents and urge you to return. Even those planning a trip to Kashmir are now likely to think a thousand times before leaving home.”

Unlike many other tourist destinations, Kashmir attracts tourists throughout the year. Each of its four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, has its own special charm. According to industry sources, there were around 200,000 tourists in the first eight months of 2021, with another 290,000 visiting Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu. The per capita expenditure on a week-long visit to Kashmir is estimated at approx. ₹50,000-60,000, and as a whole contributes 6.98% to the GDP of the Union Territory. About 500,000 people are said to be associated with the tourism industry, including hotel workers, houseboat workers, handicraft makers and providers of transportation and pony services.

“With the fresh violence, our earnings have started to fall again, and winter package tours in the region may well be affected,” said Ghulam Rasool Siya, president of the Houseboat Owners Association.

Mushtaq Chhaya, president of the Mushtaq Group, which runs hotels across Kashmir, said, “Our business is directly related to Kashmir’s political stability. Whenever trouble strikes, the tourist crowds dwindle. As soon as peace returns, it’s instant. increases. “

ups and downs

The figures convey the idea of ​​shadows. By the late 1980s, Kashmir was a favorite global tourist destination, with approximately 800,000 tourists annually in 1985–87. Once unrest and terror began in 1988–89, tourist numbers immediately fell to 150,000–200,000, and thereafter, violence increased by about 90% over the next five years. After the 1996 assembly elections, and the relative normalcy thereafter, annual tourist arrivals again crossed the 100,000 mark.

NS attack on indian parliament In December 2001, which included Kashmiri militants, the state once again saw a tourist influx of barely 25,000 a year, but after that it slowly recovered, except in summers of discontent – ​​in 2008 and 2010, when street protests The demonstrations were marked by stone pelting. Industry sources said that in 2012, the number of tourists had crossed 1.3 million.

The devastating floods of September 2014, which caused ₹5,700 crore loss to the erstwhile state, once again the impact on tourism but the industry recovered again in the next few years. The standoff was severely disrupted in August 2019 with the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its devaluation from a state to a union territory.

Although there were no disturbances, months of total shutdowns and communications blackouts in anticipation of disturbances ensured that the tourists stopped coming again. Still the recovery took place as before. In 2020, approximately 480,000 tourists arrived.

Interestingly, the impact of COVID-19 on J&K’s tourism industry was relatively less crippling than many other parts of India. As of November 7, Kashmir had 3,32,911 cases and 4,440 deaths. In comparison, Maharashtra has so far reported 66,16,762 cases and 1,40,372 deaths.

With many tourist hotspots across the world being closed due to the pandemic, Kashmir has benefited. It saw a steady stream of tourists, except at the time when the entire country was under complete lockdown. The administration’s initiative to vaccinate all the workers of the tourism industry on priority basis has also helped. “The last 12 months have been a period of boom for us after almost a year of drought after the repeal,” said Sia of the Houseboat Owners Association.

About 50% of the employees who were laid off due to revocation and initial lockdown were re-employed. “Everything was going smoothly till this (recent violence) happened,” Siya said.

While local businesses are fearful and bookings are reported to be in decline for the coming months, national tour operators and online travel companies are hoping for a good winter.

“Kashmir has always been a favorite of Indians and this year has seen a phenomenal growth in our bookings, with one of our best seasons in the last three to four months. Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook India Group, told Mint that the recent festive season from Dussehra/Durga Puja to Diwali has seen an increase in demand for Kashmir and we expect to see a continuation with our winter products .

interrelationship

It is not just hotels, restaurants and tour operators that are affected by political disturbances. The tourism industry has backward relations with many sectors. These include manufacturers of handicrafts, woodworking, chain stitch, cruvel or papier-mâché, which Kashmir is famous for, and their customers are almost entirely visiting tourists.

An estimated 150,000 job losses occurred in the tourism accident after the August 2019 repeal, including the handicrafts segment. Large goods, which were bought on credit by handicraft makers, remained in their godowns causing huge losses.

Muhammad Shahid, who runs a wholesale handicrafts business in Srinagar which he inherited from his father, supplies goods to shopping outlets in the city and even outside Kashmir, said the law- Any disturbance of the system hampers their business. “It only means canceled orders and short sales,” he said.

“Often due to such incidents the movements of the people are restricted by the regional (officials). My workers cannot come, due to which I have to shut down my unit temporarily.”

The repercussions of the recent violence have rekindled these concerns. Gulzar Ahmed Shah, owner of the Shah Art Palace in Cheshmashah, Srinagar, said that after the recent incidents, there has been an increase in uneasiness among tourists. “There are fewer tourists visiting our shops, and even those who do come are in a hurry to shop and go back indoors as soon as possible,” he said.

Another area affected is the local transport industry. Abdul Majeed, a tourist taxi driver and member of the Tourist Cab Association, said, “Most of our vehicles have been bought on loan, which we are unable to repay due to cancellation of trips by tourists.”

restore confidence

The local administration is making every effort for the past several years to promote tourism. In 2017, it released a series of commercials across all forms of media, one of which is a five-minute video, ‘Hottest Place on Earth’. It went viral, garnering over four million views. The union territory hosts music and dance festivals and ‘destination events’ at popular resorts such as Sonmarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg and even the Mata Vaishnodevi Sangeet Sammelan. In order to promote winter tourism, the administration has introduced six different winter sports in Gulmarg – alpine skiing, snow cycling, sledding, all-terrain vehicle race, snow mobile race and snow tube racing.

Although the Srinagar airport acquired international standards years ago, few international flights landed here. Things seem to be changing. On 23 October, Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the inaugural flight from Srinagar to Sharjah, which will operate four times a week.

“Based on the feedback received from foreign tourists, we have been asking the government to pave the way for people from different countries to go directly to Srinagar for some time,” said Sia of the Houseboat Owners Association.

However, industry leaders said a lot can be done to boost the confidence of both the industry and tourists.

“After facing all the setbacks, Kashmir’s tourism industry needs a bailout package. There should be some relaxation in loan repayment,” said Farooq Quthu, head of the Travel Agents Association.

Today, most tourists are confined to Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam, apart from the lakes and Mughal Gardens of Srinagar. There are many other places of interest in Kashmir without insufficient facilities for stay or visit. “The government should develop sites like Tosamaidan, Yusmarg, Lolab Valley, Dobijan and Dudpathri along eco-friendly lines to attract more tourists,” said Kuthu.

Some in the hospitality industry say strict norms and regulations are needed to deter certain players from running away from tourists – a curse not only in India but for many other tourist hotspots across the world. During peak season, some houseboats in Srinagar charge ₹25,000-30,000 a night, which is hardly commensurate with the facilities offered.

Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Pandurang K. Poole had recently held a meeting with industry stakeholders and warned them against exploitation of tourists. “Every tourist destination should have uniform and fixed rates for services,” he said.

Sia of the Houseboat Owners Association has denied the allegation. “In the last 10 years, we have not increased rates even by 10%,” he said. “Rather, we provide five-star accommodations to meet the needs of our customers.”

Despite the stunning natural landscape and picturesque setting, thanks to the tribulations of the region, the two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir are not among the top 10 Indian states and union territories that attract the largest number of domestic or international tourists. . As a percentage of total tourist visits in 2019, Jammu and Kashmir ranks 19th in domestic tourist visits and 23rd in foreign visits, according to tourism ministry data. Uttar Pradesh ranks number 1 in domestic travel, while Tamil Nadu tops the chart. Foreign visits during the year.

The drop in tourist arrivals due to the violence in early October may be temporary, but Kashmir tourism certainly needs a lot of support to achieve its full potential.

(The author is a journalist based in Kashmir.)