The Pahalgam terror attack collapsed the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir, causing a loss of crores of rupees in revenue, said JKNC MLA Tanvir Sadiq here on Saturday.
Talking to news agency on the sidelines of the Urban Conclave here, where he represented the Jammu and Kashmir government, Sadiq said several hundreds of hotel and ‘Shikara’ bookings got cancelled following the terror attack, causing a huge loss to the tourism industry there.
“Every booking got cancelled as tourists were scared to proceed with their travel after the terror attack. It crippled our tourism,” Sadiq, who is also the chief spokesperson and Communication Incharge of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, said.
However, the industry has bounced back and the tourism flow to the Union Territory has been normalised, he claimed.
“Thanks to the people of this country, we are back on track and now more and more tourists are coming to Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town in April 22, 2025, killing 26 people, mostly tourists.
Sadiq said the apple farmers were also badly affected due to the political instability and terrorism in the Union Territory.
“It is normal that everyone suffers in a UT where there is no stability. We had huge issues with connectivity between Srinagar and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir and the farmers could not transport their produce,” he said.
The MLA said that the train introduced for the freight movement has helped the sector to revive slowly.
“What we demand is an increase in the frequency of train,” Sadiq said.
Congratulating the Kerala government for organising the Urban Conclave, Sadiq said Jammu and Kashmir has a lot to learn from the southern state, both on tourism and planned development.
“This conclave is a great one and we can also think about replicating such a policy in Jammu and Kashmir. We also have a lot to plan to take care of the extreme weather that causes huge damage in our state,” he added. (Agencies)
