Tourists have started trickling in at the 16 locales across Jammu and Kashmir that were reopened on Tuesday for the first time since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, fuelling hopes of a rebound in tourism in the region.
The development came on a day lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration declared all routes leading to the Amarnath cave shrine as “no-flying zone” ahead of the beginning of the annual Yatra on July 3, highlighting the security challenges that the administration continues to battle despite elaborate arrangements.
Security personnel were deployed at the reopened tourist spots to instil confidence in visitors, who included scores of non-locals. The footfall was, however, less compared with the pre-April 22 levels.
“People should come again and enjoy the beauty of this place,” a group of tourists from Tamil Nadu told reporters in Pahalgam.
Chandigarh resident Gursimran Singh, who was accompanied by his family, said locals welcomed them with a smile.
A large group of Polish tourists in Pahalgam said
they were feeling at home in Kashmir.
“Please visit Kashmir again. People here are really nice, always smiling, and it is not crowded at all,” one of the tourists said.
Dozens of tourists were spotted sitting on rocks on the banks of the Lidder stream. While some waded into the water, others dove in for a refreshing swim.
Scores of schoolkids greeted visitors with claps and garlands at the Verinag Mughal Garden in Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Jammu resident Ankur Gupta hoped the newly opened Kashmir rail link and the Vande Bharat trains would prove to be game changers for tourism.
The rail link has made travel to Kashmir safer, cheaper and faster. A train ride from Katra to Srinagar barely takes three hours compared with over six hours earlier.
Dozens of tourist spots were closed across Jammu and Kashmir by the Sinha-led administration in the aftermath of the terror attack that killed 26 people at the Baisaran valley.
The attack dealt a crushing blow to Kashmir’s tourism industry. The visitors who still kept coming were disheartened by the closure of several popular tourist places.
On Saturday, Sinha had announced the phased reopening of 16 places — eight each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions — from Tuesday.
Betaab Valley and the parks near Pahalgam market, Verinag, Kokernag and Achabal gardens in Anantnag district were opened in the first phase.
In Srinagar, tourists can now access Badamwari Park, Duck Park and Taqdeer Park near Hazratbal.
Sarthal and Dhaggar in Kathua, Devipindi, Siyad Baba and Sula Park in Reasi, Guldanda and Jai Valley in Doda, and Pancheri in Udhampur — all in the Jammu region — have also been thrown open.
Separately, the administration on Tuesday declared the Amarnath Yatra routes as “no-flying zones” as part of beefed-up security measures for the pilgrimage.
The Yatra has two routes — the traditional Pahalgam route and the shorter Baltal route.
The declaration issued by the Jammu and Kashmir home department on the LG’s orders said flying of any kind of aviation platforms and devices, including UAVs, drones and balloons, was prohibited from July 1 to August 10.
“With a view to ensure strengthened security during the Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2025, all the routes of Shri Amarnathji Yatra are hereby declared as no-flying zone, including both Pahalgam axis and Baltal axis,” the official order said.
It said the decision was prompted by the “prevailing security situation” in the Valley. However, the restrictions will not apply to medical evacuation, disaster management and surveillance by security forces.