The recent increase in the number of tourist arrivals in Jammu and Kashmir indicates that peace is returning to the Valley
During the first seven months of 2023, the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir welcomed 12.7 million tourists. This figure may go up to 22.5 million by the end of the year, a significant increase from last year’s 18.8 million tourist arrivals, which was the highest number of tourists in the UT since India’s independence.
Significantly, the number of foreign tourists to the UT has seen a 700-percent increase from 4,028 foreign arrivals in 2022 to 30,647 in the first eight months of 2023.
Tourism in the conflict-torn Valley also psychologically assists the Kashmiris by exposing them to cultures other than Pakistan’s ‘implemented’ gun culture that they have witnessed for decades.
The increase in the number of domestic and foreign tourists to the region is the best indicator of peace returning to the Valley post-August 2019, thanks to increased safety and security. Tourists choose not only their destinations based on price and location but also their personal safety and security. The large influx of tourists is helping the region’s economic transformation and is catalysing the move towards positivity and peace.
Tourism in the conflict-torn Valley also psychologically assists the Kashmiris by exposing them to cultures other than Pakistan’s ‘implemented’ gun culture that they have witnessed for decades. Increased tourism is catalysing tolerance, a growing acknowledgement of the rights of others and, most significantly, reviving the Valley’s traditional syncretic culture.
Kashmir, known for its pristine beauty and lush green valleys, was one of the favourite destinations for domestic and foreign tourists from 1960-80. However, in 1989, Pakistan and its agencies started its armed conflict and terrorism in the Valley by infiltrating thousands of terrorists and misleading a section of gullible Kashmiris towards insurgency. Since August 2019, there has been a positive transformation in the security situation in Kashmir Valley.
The presence of terrorists has decreased significantly, and incidents of “quasi violence” such as stone pelting and strikes, which Pakistan often instigated have all but ended, especially since 2021. The people of Kashmir, particularly the youth, are on the brink of a significant transformation in their attitude towards Pakistan and its policies of terror in the region. Only 25 young people from Kashmir have joined militancy this year, compared to 143 in 2019 and 100 in 2022.
The increased number of tourists exclusively from Muslim countries has thwarted and exposed Pakistan’s false accusations of human rights violations in Kashmir by New Delhi within the Muslim world.
Increased tourist footfalls reveal the changed ground reality, especially the evolving perception of the youth towards New Delhi, both economically and politically. New Delhi also took the opportunity provided by the G20 presidency to showcase the Valley’s abundant tourism potential to the affluent global economies.
