Just one day after the terror attack in Pahalgam, tourists are already backing out of planned trips to Jammu & Kashmir. Once a top summer travel destination, the region is now being dropped from travel lists — at least for the time being.
According to the Maharashtra Tour Organisers’ Association, between 5 to 7 lakh tourists from Maharashtra alone visit J&K every weekend during summer. While small groups typically travel with 20 to 30 people, larger tours bring around 100 per trip.
“Tourism really picked up after the removal of Article 370 in 2019, and things were booming recently,” said Dilip Yadav of Tulip Holidays. “It’s hard to tell what the long-term impact will be, but right now people are cancelling bookings for the next 15 days.”
Popular destinations in the Kashmir Valley, including Gulmarg, have also stopped welcoming visitors for the time being. “Pahalgam became a must-visit spot thanks to social media influencers,” another tour operator explained, “but this attack has changed the mood completely.”
