Survey Flags Tourism Crisis: 6 In 10 Cancel Kashmir Plans Post Pahalgam Attack
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The message from the survey, conducted by LocalCircles, is clear: Kashmir's image has taken a brutal hit, and rebuilding tourist confidence won't be easy
Just two days after terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam, killing 26 people — most of them tourists — the ripple effects are already being felt across India's travel industry. A new survey by LocalCircles shows a steep collapse in tourist confidence: six in ten families who had planned to travel to Kashmir this year are now cancelling their trips.
The April 22 attack, which took place in one of Kashmir's most popular and scenic destinations, has not only claimed lives but also upended what was expected to be a record-breaking summer for the Valley. Pahalgam also serves as a key base for the annual Amarnath Yatra, and the timing of the violence has alarmed both religious travellers and the tourism industry alike.
The LocalCircles survey, which gathered over 21,000 responses from 361 districts, found that:
Among the remaining respondents, 21 per cent said they definitely won't travel to Kashmir in the near future, while others marked the destination as never being on their radar.
Tourism had been booming in Kashmir, with over 2.3 crore tourists visiting the region so far in 2025, according to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. That follows 2.1 crore in 2023 and 1.88 crore in 2022, showing a consistent rise in footfall — a rare streak of economic optimism in the conflict-prone region.
But the Pahalgam killings have triggered mass cancellations, say travel operators, with over 15,000 flight tickets to Srinagar already called off or rescheduled. Hotel bookings, too, are being withdrawn at scale. Many stakeholders fear the long-term blowback could be worse than previous seasons marked by separatist-led hartals.
Former minister Sajad Lone said the fresh wave of violence was part of a pattern aimed at stifling Kashmir's economic recovery: 'These terror attacks are aimed at yet again disempowering us economically," he said.
The survey also found that the impact was nationwide: of the respondents, 63 per cent were men and 37 per cent women, with representation from tier 1, 2, 3, and rural areas. The results reflect a cross-section of Indian travellers, showing how fear stemming from one high-profile incident can lead to a national shift in sentiment.
While many still hope the government can restore confidence through robust action and security measures, the message is clear — for tourists, Kashmir has once again become a destination of doubt.
As officials scramble to reassure visitors and bolster safety, the stakes are not just emotional or symbolic — they are deeply economic. Without immediate intervention, a season that promised growth could spiral into crisis.
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