After unrest, note ban deals a blow to tourism sector

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 6

On a revival mode after the five-month unrest in the Kashmir valley, the state’s tourism sector has again suffered a serious blow due to demonetisation with the number of visiting tourists and honeymoon couples witnessing a sharp decline in the state since November 8.

The number of Vaishno Devi pilgrims, too, has come down significantly after the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 old currency notes.

To check the declining footfall and encourage tourists, the state Tourism Department and J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) have offered significant discounts for the visitors on all its properties and accommodations across the state to encourage more tourists. Besides, it has decided to have the facility of e-payment at its properties and accommodations.

“No doubt, demonetisation has made an impact on tourist inflow in the state but this is a temporary loss. We have initiated the process of online payment for tourists. We will soon have the facility of e-transaction at all our accommodations to facilitate the hassle-free payments,” saidShahid Iqbal Chaudhary, Managing Director, JKTDC.

He said most of the properties of the JKTDC in Kashmir and other parts of the state had two-four per cent occupancy since July which ought to have been 90-100 per cent. “Nearly 95 per cent bookings were cancelled after the trouble broke out in Kashmir. We have announced a 50 per cent discount in all accommodations across the Valley and 20-35 per cent discount in the Jammu region to encourage more tourists,” he said.

Official sources said the number of tourists, both domestic and foreign, had witnessed a steep decline in the state since the eruption of the unrest following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. The visitors, especially honeymoon couples, are opting for tourist destinations in neighbouring states, such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director Tourism Kashmir, said they had lined up a number of activities “to rebuild the trust” among the visitors. “The JKTDC and Tourism Department are going all-out for publicity. Our packages and special discounts are already there. Hoteliers, too, have special offers for tourists. We will do our best to rebuild trust and restore confidence among tourists to visit the Kashmir valley,” Shah said.

He, however, said the demonetisation made little or no impact on the tourist arrival in Kashmir. “This is our lean season. We are satisfied with the current tourist inflow in Kashmir. Foreigners from South Asia are also reaching in good numbers,” he said.