Tourism revival as national necessity |
In simple words, revival of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir is a national necessity and a critical factor in ensuring national security. The efforts being made to attract tourists to the Vale again must be pursued with greater vigour. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was very clear on this, for he knows what is importance of tourism in J&K and why it needs greater attention in bridging the gaps and fulfilling the national commitment to Kashmir. Post-Pahalgam, it has assumed utmost significance.
The re-opening of 11 more tourist spots in the Valley, and three others in Jammu region, by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, after Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security and development of J&K on February 6 and 7, will be a great help to the tourism stake holders in the Valley. It also will encourage tourists to visit this territory in larger numbers. Positive signs have started dotting the famous tourist spots – Gulmarg and Sonmarg – and others are looking forward tourist footfall.
All the efforts made in J&K to get tourism industry back on rails in the past few months were directed at reversing the terror-inflicted tragedy in Baisaran, Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. In chronological order, the efforts were directed at ensuring the terror-free atmosphere in the tourist spots, as after the murderous brutality in Pahalgam, tourists had not only fled but also a word went around that tourist destinations were not safe for the country’s tourists. Pahalgam became a dark shadow for all the tourist destinations in the Valley and Jammu region, so much so that the pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi registered a drastic decline, coming down almost by 35 per cent.
The troubling situation was tackled on two fronts. Security of tourists became a major concern. Whatever be the reason for Baisaran massacre, security became a major issue. The security forces in J&K, operating under Lieutenant Governor, intensified their operations to neutralize the terrorists responsible for the carnage. They succeeded on July 28, when all the three Pakistani terrorists involved in the massacre were neutralized under Operation Mahadev. That was a subtext to Operation Sindoor. This delivered a very strong message: India will not tolerate bloodshed of its citizens. The efforts were guided by Home Minister and LG on the security front.
Omar Abdullah-led government rose to the occasion and mobilized all its resources to instil confidence in tourist. Its biggest move was to convene a special session on April 28 specifically to deliberate on the massacre and how to get tourists back to the Valley. Tourists in Kashmir are different from tourists elsewhere in the country. They enjoy beauty of the place, spend quality times in meadows, alongside river banks and carry lifetime memories with them.
The real importance of tourists in Kashmir, seen against the back drop of more than three-decade-old violent conflict – lies in the fact they neutralize the narrative of conflict. They carry with them the message of Kashmir is peaceful and worth visiting once again. Their word of mouth is more important than the messages which are sought to be conveyed by the bug-time national and international events held under the shadow of soldiers all across. The international events like G20 did tell the word that Kashmir is rediscovering itself as a place to host big events. It was particularly appealing for foreign tourists, but the message that other tourists, made to feel extraordinary carry a bigger message of peace and hospitality. Their word matters more to their community.
After, Pahalgam, however, the task became quite challenging. Tourists were targeted at a time when the narrative of peace was in vogue and a perception prevailed that nothing could go wrong in the Valley- the forces of peace had gained supremacy. The forces of disruption were deemed to have died and buried forever. That was not the case, Pahalgam dealt a severe blow to the perceptions and narrative, and a new task was placed before the people all across the nation, including Kashmir, how to regain the narrative. And that could come back only if the tourists returned to the Valley. They became core of Kashmir’s belied in itself, as the route to Kashmiris’ confidence in them flowed through the visitors from the country. For the nation, return of tourists meant Paradise regained.
The fact as it stands today is that the security forces have become a big stakeholder in the promotion of tourism in J&K, because now onwards the visitors would draw their sense of confidence in the sight of the uniformed men around – the soldiers were not to be seen in Baisaran on the ill-fated day of April 22nd. The families of the victims were not interested in knowing why security forces were not in the meadow, hailed as mini Switzerland , what they knew was that there was not a single soldier to stand as guard to them. That point will continue to hurt them for the rest of their lifetime.
Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a delicate phase. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stands for Kashmiris and tourists. His proactive approach in telling the country that Kashmir is as welcoming to tourists as ever before. Reviving tourism is a challenging task, and bells are to be tolled in other parts of the country to get tourists. These visits are part of the national security, where civilian government plays no less role in ensuring security that is so crucial for the country.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is doing what all he can to revive the traditional tourist-Kashmiri relationship alive. He knows that what all he is risking to bring tourists back to the Valley. There are charges from opposition that refuses to see any merit in what all he is doing. Their efforts are directed at making him fail rather than the good of J&K. Their super ambitions, take precedence over the overall good of Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar has every right to resent Jammu-based Opposition – BJP’s charge that his government was discriminating against Jammu region’s tourist destinations as those have been kept out of tourism campaigns across the country, but it is his responsibility to look at the fact sheet and democratize tourism. It will strengthen his hands bringing greater acceptability at the national level.