After a tourist season in 2025 marred by violence, Kashmir is looking to stitch the sector back together and regain lost momentum. If the year-end crowds are any indication, 2026 could mark a strong comeback, reports Babra Wani
“It was exhausting,” said a shopkeeper selling basic eatables on January 1, explaining why he opened his shutters later than usual. “There was an unusually large crowd last night. I finally closed the shop around 1:15 am.”
On New Year’s Eve, Lal Chowk, Srinagar’s historic square, was packed with revellers. Over the years, the iconic clock tower has evolved into a popular selfie spot for tourists, and the crowd began swelling a day in advance. On December 31, as the clock struck midnight, marking the end of 2025, jubilant visitors danced, whistled and posed for photographs beneath the tower. Men and women from different states queued up to capture the moment at what has become one of Srinagar’s most recognisable landmarks.
The gathering was noisy but orderly, growing denser with each passing hour. Businesses around the square kept their shutters open well past midnight to cater to the crowds. Although locals were few, police personnel deployed in the area gradually persuaded tourists to return to their hotels. It took the first two hours of 2026 for Lal Chowk to finally settle into calm, allowing the clock tower to resume its quiet vigil.
That Kashmir would be packed at year’s end was hardly a surprise. In the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, all signs pointed to heavy tourist footfall across the Valley’s major destinations, setting the stage for widespread celebrations.
Rare Call
On December 10, 2025, when a telephone bell rang at the front desk, echoing through the corridors of a hotel in Pahalgam, not having had ‘guests’ for too many months, the manager literally ran to pick up the call. Once a crowded corridor, it had not witnessed any significant footfall ever since the Pahalgam massacre in April 2025.
“Hello Bhai, we have a batch of 10 tourists from Mumbai for the new year. I called to check if there is some space available in your hotel,” the caller asked. Not a stranger to the hotel, the Maharashtra travel agent had been working closely with the hotel for the last 10 years.
“No worries. You have your rooms, and I can confirm the booking,” the manager, speaking anonymously to this reporter, replied enthusiastically.
It was one of the very few calls that the hotel received in the aftermath of the April 22, Baisaran attack, which left Pahalgam practically deserted. Initially, in quick response to the massacre, the LG administration closed the destination. A few months later, when it was reopened, the hotels remained closed because there were no visitors.
For many hotel owners, restaurateurs, shopkeepers and home-stay owners across Kashmir, the last day of December came as a blessing.
“We had bookings for the New Year celebration and Christmas as well,” said a homestay owner from Gulmarg. “God answered our prayers with season’s first snowfall.” Especially after Gulmarg received snowfall, a hope emerged. “We knew not many, but we will have a few visitors and tourists,” he said.
Disruptions
Tariq Ahmad Khan, President, Travel Agents Association of North Kashmir, and owner of a travel agency, said Kashmir’s tourism sector witnessed severe disruptions following a series of security-related incidents in 2025.
“After the Pahalgam attack, which should never have happened, followed by the Delhi incident and the Nowgam episode that was given a different colour, tourism here almost came to a standstill,” Khan said. “After these three episodes, there was hardly any tourist movement. From November, however, we have seen a slight improvement, and I hope the situation will continue to get better in the coming months.”
Khan asserted that the fear and perception continue to shape tourists’ decisions, with safety remaining the foremost concern. “Even today, whenever we receive enquiries, whether B2B or B2C, online or offline, the first question people ask is, ‘Is Kashmir safe?’,” Khan revealed. “The fear that has been planted in tourists’ minds through print, digital and social media still exists. Incidents like Pahalgam continue to worry them.”
Khan said travel agents are actively working to rebuild confidence by connecting prospective tourists with past visitors and industry stakeholders.
“We try to reassure them by sharing client reviews and references,” Khan said. “We even provide phone numbers of previous tourists and ask them to speak directly to people who have visited Kashmir. They can guide them better than us.”
Highlighting efforts to revive tourism, Khan organised large familiarisation trips for travel agents from across the country.
“In October and November, I brought India’s top 150 travel agents to Kashmir in three separate familiarisation trips,” Khan said, talking about how the industry struggled to restore confidence. “These visits sent out a positive message. Even now, when travel agents from outside enquire whether Kashmir is safe, the feedback from these fam-trips helps counter fear.” He admitted the administration has also taken steps to project a sense of security.
Even though the media has been packaging snow as a seasonal treat in its reportage, the fact is that a small quantity is worrying Khan.
“Our biggest misfortune this season is that there has been very little snowfall,” Khan said, holding fate and climate change responsible. “January is usually peak winter, but there is no snow yet. If there was snowfall, Gulmarg, being a world-class skiing destination, would have seen even more international and national tourists.”
He said destinations such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg remain the most preferred spots during winter, while the closure of other locations has narrowed tourism options.
“Earlier, places like Doodhpatri and Yusmarg were also part of tourist itineraries, but their closure has reduced the scope of tourism. When we sell six- or seven-day packages, we are limited to just three destinations. Restrictions also create fear, if some places are open and others are not, tourists naturally start questioning safety,” he added, insisting the government must withdraw the unprecedented measure.
Khan said a brief spell of snowfall during the Christmas-New Year period provided some relief.
“From December 25 to the onset of January, Gulmarg, Srinagar and Pahalgam were almost completely sold out. Rooms were not available. In Gulmarg alone, around 100 per cent of accommodation was occupied. This is good news for tourism,” he said.
Reflecting on losses and future expectations, Khan said the sector is slowly recovering.
“After the Pahalgam incident, around 275 of my packages were cancelled. But looking ahead, I am hopeful that more than 100 packages will materialise in the coming period, including group bookings of 6, 10, 20 and even 50 people,” he said.
A Hopes Revived
Echoing Khan, Dildar Ahmad Khan, President Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association, Pahalgam, said that the last week of December brought a glimpse of hope to the tourism stakeholders, “It was like all the hotels were booked, homestays, huts, everything and tourists were both locals and non-locals.”
In the aftermath of the April massacre, almost 50 per cent of the hotels and restaurants had closed down, and the rest of the hotels and restaurants that are open saw a full booking. It was mainly due to the new year, and we saw that the weekend was tightly booked.”
Syed Qamar Sajad, Director Tourism Kashmir and former Managing Director, Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation (JKCCC), said that despite 2025 being a difficult year for tourism, the sector witnessed a noticeable recovery towards the end of the year.
“There is no denying that 2025 was not a good year for tourism, and the sector suffered drastically. However, during November and December, we saw a clear improvement. Timely snowfall acted as a natural add-on, and tourists arrived in significant numbers around the New Year,” Sajad said. He said the year-end recorded full occupancy across major tourist destinations. “As far as the last ten days of December are concerned, there were almost 100 per cent bookings across all three major destinations, with Srinagar serving as the base. This created a very positive momentum in the tourism sector, which is now showing an upward trend.”
Hoping the momentum continues, Sajad said his department is working with all stakeholders to strengthen outreach across the country and internationally. “We cannot afford to be complacent,” he said.
“Without going into numbers, I can say that the footfall is now almost at par with last year during the same period.”
On reopening additional destinations, Sajad acknowledged that the decision rests with the government.
“Whether more destinations should be opened is for the government to decide. Once the authorities are satisfied, those areas will be opened. For now, what is available is sufficient to meet tourists’ expectations,” he said.
Good Bookings
Sabiya, who runs a homestay, Sheen Homestay, for the past three years, said that compared to the last two years, the flow of tourists has reduced to just 20 per cent. “In the last two years, we used to have a full pack. There was no day when we did not have a full pack.”
Her homestay has five rooms, and “those five rooms used to have a full pack in December, January, February, and March.”
In March and April, it was almost full, she added. But this year, in the last week of December, we had guests for almost five days.”
According to the official figures, Gulmarg, with 2,300 beds in hotels and huts, was sold out on December 31 with 100 per cent occupancy. Sonamarg, with 2,580 beds, recorded 100 per cent occupancy, as well.
In the year 2025, only 10.47 lakh domestic tourists visited Kashmir compared to 2024, which saw around 26 lakh tourists.
