Ahmedabad Times

PAHALGAM: A yr after the terrorist assault that shook Kashmir’s scenic hill city, vacationer arrivals to Pahalgam, have fallen sharply, dimming the vibrancy of what was as soon as among the many area’s busiest vacation locations.Earlier than the assault, the city routinely hosted between 3,000 and 5,000 guests a day. At present, the numbers inform a unique story. Official figures, procured by TOI from the native vacationer centre, revealed that from Could 2025 to April 15, 2026, Pahalgam recorded 4,30,495 home vacationers, a steep drop in comparison with earlier years, when annual footfall ranged between 12 and 15 lakh, with month-to-month averages hovering round 1 to 1.1 lakh guests.The decline is especially putting when contrasted with April 2025, the month of the assault. By April 22, when the assault occurred, round 1.37 lakh vacationers had already visited the city in 22 days.The drop of vacationers in Pahalgam may be gauged from comparability of knowledge of vacationer footfall within the picturesque city from Jan to April 2025, when the whole variety of guests for these 4 months reached 463,390. In distinction, knowledge from Jan to April 2026 exhibits a pointy decline throughout all months with simply 254,930 vacationers, which is sort of 45% decrease than the identical interval in 2025. The cumulative drop of over 200,000 vacationers suggests a big damaging pattern.But, amid the downturn, a brand new and sombre landmark has emerged. A martyrdom memorial, arrange by J&Okay govt close to Pahalgam’s standard “Selfie Level” alongside Lidder river, has grow to be a focal cease for guests. The memorial bears the names of all of the 26 vacationers who misplaced their lives within the assault.For a lot of, the go to is much less about leisure and extra about remembrance.Alongside the riverbanks, vacationers collect as they all the time do, some standing on stones to take photos, some sitting in small teams having snacks, others dipping their ft into the chilly water.Nonetheless, as they strategy the memorial, their expression exhibits what has modified in a yr. Their temper shifts. Some stand in silence, studying every title written on the memorial. Others elevate their telephones to seize the unhappy second.The listing of 26 begins with Atul Shrikant Mone. It ends with Yatish Bhai Sudhirbhai Pamar. At quantity 22, is Syed Adil Hussain Shah, an area ponywallah killed whereas making an attempt to save lots of vacationers through the assault.Ravi C, a vacationer from Karnataka, mentioned it was his first go to to Pahalgam and he got here regardless of what had occurred final yr. He was taking photos of his younger little one, who was saluting the memorial.Ayaan from Mumbai, travelling together with his household, mentioned the violence had not stored him away. “Incidents occur,” he mentioned.Kuldeep Singh, a driver from Punjab, had introduced guests from Punjab. They, too, have been studying the names. Kantarajpa, a retired Military officer from Bengaluru, mentioned he wished to see the place for himself. The assault, he mentioned, has not deterred him.Throughout the highway on the vacationer reception centre, officers from the tourism division mentioned guests have began returning to Pahalgam. They mentioned within the 4 months after final yr’s assault, the resort noticed nearly no vacationers. “Hoteliers had shut their lodges. However with sustained efforts of govt, issues are starting to enhance,” mentioned an official.Tourism infrastructure within the space stays substantial, with round 107 lodges, 100 visitor homes, and the same variety of homestays recorded by the tourism division. Nonetheless, officers notice {that a} vital variety of unregistered lodging proceed to function exterior formal data.