Srinagar, Apr 22: Exactly one year after a devastating terrorist attack claimed the lives of 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir has mounted a strong defiance, sending a clear message to the “enemy across the border” that its strategy of spreading fear has failed.
Official data accessed by Kashmir Convener shows that tourist footfall has not only recovered but is surging across the Valley, delivering what officials describe as the harshest rebuke to Pakistan’s efforts to destabilise the region.
While the Baisaran meadow remains sealed with CRPF personnel turning back trekkers, the rest of the Valley is buzzing with activity.
At the iconic Tulip Garden in Srinagar, over 2.52 lakh visitors have thronged the garden since its reopening on March 16.
Director Floriculture, Mathoora Masoom, told Kashmir Convener that the garden, which remained open from March 16 to April 16, recorded a total footfall of 3.82 lakh visitors, including 1,222 international tourists, around 2.24 lakh domestic tourists, and nearly 1.56 lakh local visitors.
‘We feel safer here than in many other places’
Tourists walking along the boulevards of Sonmarg and the almond blossoms of Badamwari are sending a clear signal of defiance. In Badamwari alone, visitor numbers have more than doubled to 40,000 this March compared to 18,000 last year.
“I came with five friends from Mumbai. Look at the security — we feel safer here than in many other places back home. That attack was an act of cowards, but we will not let them win. We came to show them that terror won’t work,” said Rajesh Khanna, a tourist from Mumbai, while being turned back from the sealed Baisaran entry point in Pahalgam.
Another tourist, Priyanka Sharma from Delhi, who was visiting Gulmarg with her family, told Kashmir Convener “Pakistan wants us to believe Kashmir is unsafe. But look at us — we are laughing, clicking photos, enjoying the every beautiful moment here, Their narrative is a joke. We are here to stay.”
A young couple from Bengaluru, Ankit and Sneha, said “We planned this trip despite everyone warning us. But after arriving, we realised the hospitality is unmatched. If terrorists think they can scare Indians away from their own paradise, they are mistaken.”
Footfall rebounds to 40 per cent of normal levels
Hotelier Mushtaq Ahmad Pahalgami, head of the Hotel Association of Pahalgam, told Kashmir Convener that footfall has climbed back to 30-40 per cent of normal levels, with toll collections tripling since early March.
“The message from tourists is loud and clear, they are not afraid. Every booking, every selfie here is a slap to those across the border who want to empty the Valley,” Pahalgami said.
At Drang, near Gulmarg, bulletproof bunkers line the tourist routes. At Sonmarg, a senior police officer described the security as “foolproof,” with patrols extending into adjoining forests.
‘Their plan has failed’
A CRPF officer standing guard on the Pahalgam trek, who did not wish to be named, told Kashmir Convener “They wanted to empty the Valley. But look around. The tourists are back. Their plan has failed.”
The administration has also registered at least six cases under the Foreigners and Immigration Act 2025 against those who concealed information about foreign visitors, in a move to plug gaps exploited by cross-border handlers.
Tourism stakeholders said the rebound is not just an economic indicator but a political statement. “By choosing to holiday here despite threats, domestic tourists have declared that the so-called peace of Pakistan is a hollow lie,” said a senior tourism department official.
As one tourist from Kolkata, Sudipta Chatterjee, put it while clicking photos at the Pahalgam market: “We have not come here despite the attack. We have come here because of it. To prove that India stands united. Pakistan’s narrative stands exposed — rejected not by politicians, but by the sheer weight of our footsteps.”
Meanwhile, On the first anniversary of the Pahalgam terror, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying solemn tribute to the victims, asserting that India will never bow to any form of terror, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the “cowardly” act and vowed that India’s response to cross-border terrorism is now “firm, decisive, and unwavering,” while Union Home Minister Amit Shah called terrorism the “greatest enemy of humanity” and reiterated India’s zero-tolerance policy, and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the victims’ memory “endures indelibly in our hearts,” as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ridding the Union Territory of suffering and innocent deaths, with all leaders standing united in grief and resolve.
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