Darjeeling, April 25 -- The Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 has left the tourism sector of Kashmir high and dry. Travel agents organising trips to Kashmir claim that the past few days have witnessed booking cancellations to the valley. Along with this, enquiries for already overbooked Darjeeling and Sikkim have gone up for the summer season.
Kashmir was a witness to a record tourist footfall with 30 lakh tourists visiting the valley in 2024. The number was expected to go up manifold. However, the terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam on April 22, that has left 26 tourists dead and many more injured, has brought tourism to its knees in Kashmir. As per news reports, a survey conducted by LocalCircles reveals that the April 22 has resulted in 62 per cent families - who had travel or pilgrimage bookings to Kashmir between May and December 2025 - cancelling their plans.
"The April 22 incident has caused irreparable loss to Kashmir, especially to the tourism industry. The feedback we are getting does not sound promising at all. At present, most of the tourists who are in Srinagar are being relocated to Patnitop while security forces have blanketed Srinagar. In Patnitop, accommodations along with the cost of food are exorbitant. As per the departure schedule, travel arrangements are being made to Jammu or Amritsar as per the train tickets," stated SK Das of Threshold Travels, while talking to Millennium Post.
He stated that this has resulted in widespread cancellation of bookings to Kashmir. "Many among them are enquiring as to whether accommodations are available in Darjeeling or Sikkim. From May 1 to mid June, Darjeeling and Sikkim are overbooked. It is difficult to get accommodations. Along with this, offbeat destinations in Darjeeling and Sikkim are also doing exceptionally well," added Das. A large number of tourists from Bengal visit Kashmir.
"Darjeeling has been witnessing a tourist rush since March this year. Most of the hotels are booked to capacity. With the mercury shooting up in the plains, the rush is expected to grow," stated Pradeep Lama, Secretary, Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents.
"We have clients cancelling Kashmir trips after the April 22 incident. Clients from South Indian states, Maharashtra and Delhi are instead opting for trips to Darjeeling and Sikkim.
Most of the hotels are sold out from the first week of May to mid June in Darjeeling and Sikkim," added Tushar Suvra Kar of Christmas Tree Hospitality. As per the Darjeeling Hotel Owners Association, the occupancy in Darjeeling hotels this summer (till April) has increased by 20 per cent as compared to last year.
The percentage is expected to increase in May.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.