Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he sees great potential in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh’s tourism business, industry stakeholders have shown apprehensions about the same. In a national address following Article 370 revocation, the PM said that the valley can become a big tourist destination around the world and the government is doling out reforms to that end. However, according to the President of taxi operators’ union in the valley, the business is not expected to pick up until March 2020 given the atmosphere in J&K. “The tourism season is over and all the stakeholders are staring at a bleak future,” Mohammad Ashraf Lone told news agency PTI.
Tourism is the most important industry of Kashmir’s economy and about 60% of the population is engaged directly or indirectly in the tourism and ancillary activities. The industry contributes about 15% of the state GDP.
However, not all the stakeholders see a dismal future. “The removal of Article 370 will help in harnessing the state tourism’s true potential,” Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) & Vice President, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) recently said in a statement. He added that despite tourism being a leading industry of J&K, the same has not yielded much to state economy.
Another small industry stakeholder had also said that the government’s move will bring in more investment in all sectors, and will fructify as more jobs and more revenue. Chamber of Traders Federation (CTF) said, “we can see a great future ahead for all the people of the state as the doors to development have been opened,” CTF President Neeraj Anand said recently.
Jammu and Kashmir is under high restrictions after Article 370 got scrapped. The already present tourists were also asked to halt their tour in the middle including pilgrims who were there for the Amarnath Yatra. The tourism season in the state has already borne the brunt of Pulwama attack.