Tourists begin to trickle in months after April killings in Pahalgam

Two months after a deadly attack in Kashmir, tourists were afraid of tourists and brought India and Pakistan to the edge of the war, the picturesque valley, which is located in the Himalayas, began seeing the first signs of tourism.

Shabana Awwal is making videos of her children while taking turns a water bike for riding on Dal Lake, which is the most tourist place in Srinagar.

The Lady of the Western State of Rajistan traveled with her husband and children in a group of 15 – all members of their extended families.

“I visited Kashmir several times and watched all the main attractions such as Julmarag, Sonmaraj and Bahmam and wanted to show all these places to my relatives,” I told BBC.

Awwals planned their 10 -day journey in March. “Summer in Rajstistan State is unbearable, so we planned to escape Kashmir during the children’s school leave,” she says.

But since I planned the trip, the circumstances here changed significantly. On April 22, gunmen attacked tourists visiting a beauty place near the city of Bahmam, killing 26 men.

Tourism is the basic pillar of Jammu’s economy and Kashmir, and it is the region of its federal administration, and this unprecedented targeting of tourists sent a shock across India. The authorities closed 48 tourist destinations in the valley, and two -thirds of which are closed.

“The impact of the attack was immediately and a large -scale feeling,” says Prime Minister Omar Abdullah, who was pressing hard to reopen these sites to attract visitors to the area.

Abdullah told the BBC: “There was a collective migration for these tourists who were already here, and a collective cancellation of those who were proposing to come. Then India and Pakistan were, for all intentions and purposes, in a state of approximately a few days in May.”

“So, the permanent influence of the deterioration of relations between the two neighboring countries and the tourism season for this year has felt, what is the word I use for it? I think you can call it a disaster.”

Kashmir, which India and Pakistan demanded, was a flash point for decades. South Asia’s nuclear armed neighbors fought two wars and a limited conflict on Kashmir. For more than a quarter of a century, the area witnessed an armed rebellion against Indian rule, but even at its peak, tourists were rarely targeted.

The lady said that her family decided to continue on her vacation because “we were not really afraid” and “we thought we would deal with everything that happened.”

“We are happy that we have made our plans. The situation here is normal,” she says and blames “media noise” for the impression that he is not safe to travel to Kashmir.

Awwals is not alone in their optimism. “There is no better summer vacation destination than Kashmir,” says Debti and Anuch Gandhi of Jammu who only laid their plans last week.

“Children love to ride a water bicycle and then we will go into the boats in the lake. We come here every year, so why do you break the tradition now?” She says.

Earlier this week, Ani News Agency reported that a group of Polish tourists arrived in the city.

Only weeks after Paalgam’s attack is a reason to optimistic about hotel owners, taxi drivers, tour guides, store owners and owners of Shikaras-narrow colored wooden boats that resemble a gonda and transport tourists on Lake Dal.

In April, the President of the Shikara Malika Association, Haji Wali Muhammad Bahat, said, Dal Lake Bolivard was full of thousands of tourists, and there were daily traffic jams and complained that they were finding it difficult to obtain residency.

“The attack on tourists was unfortunate and tragic,” he says.

“This has affected all of us and our ways of life. Tourists are our lives, and tourism is the artery of our life. God knows what the sin we pay for,” he adds, desperate.

Ravi Jusan, head of the Indian Association of Morsion of Trips, which has recently led a “journey to investigate the facts”, which lasted three days of tourist tour organizers-because they are “who send travelers to Kashmir saying,” Over the past few years, tourism has been flourishing in Kashmir, and many new hotels have been built, and new vehicles and new stores have been purchased. “

Last year, the government said 23.6 million tourists visited Jamo and Kashmir, with 3.49 million tourists visiting the valley.

Mr. Josan says this year, he has lost the peak season in the valley, but tourism can still pick up.

“Local population is very welcome, hotel owners, tour guides and store owners are very friendly and people return. You can see it – all flights come entirely, tourism bounces quickly.

“I think the national feelings are that if the purpose of the attack is the departure of tourism, this will not succeed. But I hope that no unwanted accident will happen again.”

According to reports, some credit for reviving tourism in Kashmir also goes to a new train link for the first time on Srinagar with the rest of India.

The train was twice a day from Serenajar to Katra Station, in the Jumu-which recently topped the headlines to pass the “highest individual railway in the world”-operated and tickets were sold during the next two months.

Katra, the starting point for those who visit the famous Hindus shrine, Fishno Devi, attracted 9.48 million pilgrims last year.

Many of those who arrived there since June 7, when the new air -conditioned train was assigned to air, was jumping to go to Kashmir.

Among the pilgrims who benefit from easy contact is ghanshyam bhaadwaj and his wife, Mamata Sharma and their children. For the couple residing in Delhi, they enjoyed hot sugary tea near Lake D.

“It took only three hours from us from Katra. We will spend the night here and take the train to Katra tomorrow and we will travel to Delhi.”

“I ask him if he was worried about traveling to the valley shortly after Paalgam’s attack?

He says, “There is nothing afraid of it. This is my country.”

Prime Minister Abdullah says that the fact that the pilgrims choose to come to the valley is a good start.

“Now those who will come for a few hours, I would like to see them come for a few days. Those who will come for a few days, I would like to see them have confidence to stay for a week.

“But at least it is the beginning, and this is what helps.”

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