Over 50% Indians to cancel Kashmir travel plans after Pahalgam terror attack: Survey

Security in Kashmir.

The terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in at least 28 deaths and many injured, is causing tourists planning to visit or already in the Valley to cancel their bookings, severely impacting Kashmir's thriving tourism industry.

According to a LocalCircles survey, six in 10 respondents planning to travel to Kashmir between May and December this year are likely to cancel their plans/bookings.

LocalCircles conducted the survey to understand how people planning a vacation in Kashmir in 2025 intended to respond to the attack.

The survey also captures the three-year outlook of people with regard to travel to Kashmir in the aftermath of this latest attack. The survey received over 21,000 responses from travellers across 361 districts of the country. About 63 percent of respondents were men while 37 percent of respondents were women. 41 percent of respondents were from Tier 1, 28 percent from Tier II and 31 percent of respondents were from Tier III, IV, V, and rural districts.

The fear of more terror attacks targeting tourists is likely to keep many people from visiting Kashmir for some time, as only 30 percent of those surveyed are likely to take a trip to the Valley.

Out of 14,430 who responded to “Are you or your family likely to plan a trip to Kashmir in the next 3 years?” 29 percent stated “yes, most definitely”; 21 percent of respondents stated “no, most definitely not”; 33 percent of respondents stated it “will depend on how the government handles the safety situation”; 8 percent of respondents did not give a clear answer and 9 percent of respondents stated that the question is “not applicable (Kashmir was never among our target destinations to visit in the next 3 years)".

Tourist traffic

Kashmir has seen a steady rise in tourist traffic over the last few years and was expecting a further increase, going by the hotel bookings. Last month, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the assembly that 2.3 crore tourists had already visited in 2025.

According to tourism department data, 18,884,317 tourists visited J&K in 2022 and 21,180,011 in 2023.

Tourism stakeholders who were expecting a good summer season in terms of business, free of hartal calls from separatists, say the attack in Pahalgam, which is among the most sought-after tourist destinations, is bound to send a negative message to visitors across the country.

The attack in Pahalgam, which is a base for Amarnath Yatra, is also likely to affect the pilgrim sentiment just when the registration process has begun. In 2023, over 21 million pilgrims visited Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra, according to the tourism data.

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack, tourists have started cancelling bookings.

Tour operators worried

Tour operators are worried not just about the immediate impact, but also about the long-term repercussions for the tourism sector. Domestic airlines are reported to have received requests for cancellation or rescheduling of 15,000 flight tickets to Srinagar post the terrorist attack.

Some tour operators are optimistic that government intervention could help minimize any long-term impact particularly on the Amarnath yatra, which begins in June. Former minister and legislator Sajad Lone is reported to have stated that the tourism industry has suffered greatly due to the terror attacks. “These terror attacks are aimed at yet again disempowering us economically,” he said.