Tourism in J&K, Ladakh struggling to recover

Air travel and tourism in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are yet to recover after the Pahalgam terror attack in April, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) data showing that passenger traffic at Srinagar, Jammu, and Leh airports remains well below last year’s levels, marking a sharp reversal from the steady growth seen in the same period last year.

- AKSHARA SRIVASTAVA & DEEPAK PATEL

The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have three major civilian airports —Jammu, Srinagar, and Leh.

According to the AAI data, reviewed by Business Standard, the monthly passenger numbers at Srinagar airport are yet to claw back to last year’s levels.

In May this year, the airport handled 161,214 passengers, a steep 67.1 per cent year-on-year (Yo-Y) drop. In August, it was 257,867, 17.9 per cent lower than in the same month last year. For travel operators in the region, this has been a washout season.

"The Pahalgam terror attacks and the conflict that followed were a big blow to local tourism. And just when things were starting to go back to normal, the floods, caused by heavy rain, spoiled all chances of a bounce-back this season," said a hotel operator who has been battling dwindling occupancy rates since April.

During April-August this year, Srinagar airport recorded a 33.1 percent decline in passenger numbers Yo-Y, in contrast to 10.2 per cent growth in the same period last year.