Covid-19 second wave keeps Kashmir’s tourists away

Srinagar: Amid a steep rise in Covid-19 cases across the country, hoteliers and houseboat owners in Kashmir are facing mass cancellation for the summer season.

After cases started declining late last year, tourists in huge numbers poured into Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir saw a five-time increase in tourist arrivals in January 2021 in comparison to the year before.

The state had also started to emerge as the preferred destination for Bollywood filmmakers with as many as 26 films shot in the region this year. Direct flights to Jammu and Kashmir from key cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and other metros from last month had also led to a surge in bookings to the valley.

While the heavy snowfall this year had created many hardships for people in the Valley, things had started looking up on the tourism front. Many places like the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir were fully booked from January to April.

However, the resurgence in Covid-19 cases across the country may again play a spoilsport for Kashmir tourism. “The valley is witnessing a huge influx in tourism and for summers there were pre-bookings till May end. However, in view of growing Covid-19 positive cases in the country, prior bookings are getting cancelled,” said a Srinagar-based tour operator.

He said with fresh weekend lockdowns in different parts of the country, tourists are reluctant to travel.

His views were echoed by Secretary Houseboat Association Abdul Rasheed. “More than 80 per cent of houseboats are empty now, with no fresh bookings around in view of growing Covid-19 positive cases in the country,” he said, adding that even tourists who are already in the valley are cutting their trips short.

In November last year, the tour and travel operators from Maharashtra had started an ‘Unlock Kashmir Tourism Campaign’ with support from the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department. Though the campaign yielded positive results till now, it may have to suffer again like it did in August 2019 after the revocation of Article 370 and last year’s lockdown. (Agency)