Srinagar, Nov 29: In the wake of the Pahalgam attack and Delhi blast, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said 2025 has not been good for tourism, but pinned hope on snowfall reviving the sector and helping attract more visitors to the valley.
“This year has not been easy for us from a tourism point of view. Be it Pahalgam, Delhi, and Nowgam, it has had a huge impact on our tourism,” Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a tourism event.
“The key to (increasing) footfall is snowfall. We had a totally dry November. It is hoped that God will bless us and we will have good snowfall in December. When it snows, we think places like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and Srinagar will benefit from that, but it is up to God. The sooner it snows, the sooner our winter tourism season will start,” he said.
The preparations and promotions that needed to be done by the government have been done, the chief minister said.
“Promotion is the main thing in tourism. The more promotion and marketing you can do, the more people can come,” he added.
Abdullah stated that while tourists were visiting the valley, the numbers were lower.
“Tourists are coming, maybe not in the numbers that we want them to, but they are coming. When we started the Chrysanthemum garden, tourism got a boost, and when it snows, more tourists will start coming,” he said.
He expressed hope for an increase in tourists around Christmas and New Year.
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On April 22, 26 persons, mostly tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Baisaran meadows at the famous tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir. On November 10, a car blast took place near the Red Fort in Delhi, killing 15 people, while an accidental blast in Nowgam police station here on November 14 killed 9 people. (PTI)
