THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ever since Burhan Wani was shot dead early in July, the iconic shikharas (the lean colourful houseboats) now bob idly along the edges of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. Tourists seem to have fled Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, even while trying to assuage wounded hearts, is desperate to revive the tourism industry.
But her efforts seem to be in vain as tourist arrivals have virtually dried up. Kovalam is said to be one of the destinations that have benefited from Kashmir’s loss. Domestic tourist footfalls in Kovalam have shown a marked increase compared to last few years and tourism industry insiders attribute this to the sudden fall in the allure of Kashmir, whose tourism sector had witnessed a boom in the last few years.
“August is looking definitely better than the August of last year. Since nothing much has changed, though it is a bit perverse to say this, we have a feeling that turmoil in Kashmir has worked to our advantage,” said Jacob Melethottam who runs a string of small restaurants along Eve’s beach in Kovalam. The tourism ministry in Kashmir has openly stated that reports of terrorism had affected tourism and it was also stated that hundreds of tourists had already cancelled their bookings.
The houseboat industry, it was said, suffered the worst. “We might be netting what in tourism parlance we call Kashmir betrayors,” said George Mathew of India Hols. “A good chunk of the bookings we got were late, by the last week of July. And some of our clients had even told us that they had opted Kerala only because Kashmir has become inaccessible,” Mr Mathew said.
For nearly five years, Kashmir’s tourism prospects have been on the rise. “The floods during July last year provided the first jolt. Now militancy seems to be decimating the potential of the place,” Mr Mathew said. Destinations like Thekkady, which was fast deteriorating as a tourism spot last few years, too has seen an unprecedented rise in numbers this off-season.
