SRINAGAR / PIR CHINASI, May 6 (Alliance News): Hotels, guesthouses, and houseboats in both Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are facing an alarming tourism collapse following a deadly attack on tourists last month that has reignited hostilities between India and Pakistan.
In IIOJK, the tourism sector, which was flourishing due to a relative calm in recent years, has nosedived after the April 22 attack that killed 26 tourists. Indian authorities have blamed Pakistan for the incident, a charge Islamabad has strongly denied while warning of a possible Indian military response.
As a result, Indian travel sites are now flooded with hotel and houseboat listings offering discounts of up to 70%, but most accommodations remain empty.
“Our houseboats were packed and now we have no guests,” said Yaseen Tuman, owner of a century-old travel agency in Srinagar. “We will have to prepare for a long lull.”
Taxi drivers, such as Tanveer in Srinagar, also shared their struggles. “The streets were packed before the horrific killing. Now I wait all day for one passenger.”
On the Pakistani side, authorities have sealed off popular destinations such as Neelum Valley, fearing potential Indian aggression. Abrar Ahmad Butt, spokesperson for the local hotels association, said all 370 hotels in Neelum are empty. “It’s going to hurt badly this season,” he warned.
Even Pir Chinasi, located away from the Line of Control but still in AJK, is witnessing low tourist turnout. Roadside restaurants and guesthouses stand nearly vacant. Musaddiq Hussain, who runs a small shop there, said, “Business is completely down. We want peace so we can prosper.”
Still, some visitors like Syed Yasir Ali, a diplomat in Islamabad, continue to vacation in the region. “This side is safe,” he said, encouraging others not to be afraid.
Tourism is a key economic driver in Kashmir, employing around 16,000 people in AJK alone. Last year, more than 1.5 million tourists visited AJK and nearly 3 million flocked to IIOJK, driven by a lull in violence after a ceasefire agreement. However, the current surge in tensions is threatening to erase those gains.
The tourism freeze has become one of the first casualties of the renewed friction between the nuclear-armed neighbours, both of whom have fought multiple wars over the disputed territory.
