STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Border skirmishes between India and Pakistan, coupled with ongoing demonetisation drive, has adversely impacted the tourist inflow across Jammu and Kashmir in the last quarter.
Pilgrim tourism, which is considered the backbone of tourism industry in the State, has also recorded sharp decline in recent weeks raising serious concerns among tour operators, hoteliers and transporters engaged in the job of ferrying tourists from one destination to another.
The tourism industry in Kashmir, already reeling under the impact of four-month long lockdown in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, is now pinning all its hopes on the coming winter season.
“We are banking upon the coming winter season to earn our bread and butter. Previously the Amarnath Yatra failed to attract rush of pilgrims, as valley was hit by unrest less than one week after the Yatra began in July 2016. As situation is showing some signs of improvement on ground zero after four months, we are hoping to do brisk business and earn our livelihood”, a businessman running a famous handicraft show-room near Dal Lake told STATE TIMES. Every year, large rush of tourists visit Kashmir and spend time in the world famous tourist resort of Gulmarg to enjoy winter sports and snowfall.
In Jammu, the pilgrim traffic has been witnessing sharp decline in numbers since July 2016. According to officials of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the average daily number of pilgrims visiting the cave shrine has drastically fallen from 21,000 to under 10,000 in the last three months.
In October, the total foot fall recorded in the cave shrine was 5.83 lakh pilgrims and the same came down to 4.48 lakh in November. Till November, 72.74 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the cave shrine. In 2015, 77.76 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine.
It remains to be seen whether in the coming days and even on the eve of New Year the pilgrim rush would pick up and cross the last year’s figure of 77.76 or not. Various other famous tourist places in and around Jammu are also facing crisis time due to declining number of tourists in the region. Many tour operators directly linked the decline owing to country wide demonetisation drive.
