By Gulzar Bhat
Copyright thehindubusinessline
Abdul Hamid, a horse rider in Yusmarg, a meadow ringed by pine forests in central Kashmir, has been struggling to make ends meet since April.
Until a few months ago, the destination bustled with visitors, providing livelihoods to him and hundreds of others. That changed after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including tourists and a local pony-walla.
Authorities ordered the closure of 48 tourist sites including across the Valley citing security concerns.
While 16 locations were later reopened, the rest remain shut, including Yusmarg. For horse riders like Hamid, the order has been devastating.
“These meadows are bare without tourists. This season is almost lost, but if the authorities reopen the site before winter sets in, we may at least be able to earn enough to feed our animals,” Hamid said.
Other prominent destinations that remain out of bounds include Sinthon Top, Aharbal, Kounsarnag, Margan Top, and Bangus Valley.
“In these places, people largely depend on tourism. If tourists don’t come, nothing moves,” said Javed Ahmad, a tour operator.
He said that many of the closed sites emerged as tourist hotspots in the recent years and provided livelihood to thousands.
“Their closure not only hit the livelihood of locals, but also the development of destinations themselves”, Ahmad added.
Official data suggest that tourist arrivals in Kashmir fell by more than half in the first six months of 2025 compared with a year earlier, dropping to about 750,000 from over 1.56 million in the same period of 2024.
The decline was sharper among foreign visitors, with numbers down over 40 percent.
An official said the closures were necessary for security reasons,but did not indicate when the sites would reopen.
Last week, however, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters in Chennai that most of the major tourist destinations were reopens following a security review.
He said that security reviews had been completed and that strict protocols were now in place to make travel safe and comfortable
Published on September 16, 2025
