Tourism economy crashes in Pahalgam, thousands jobless

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, May 13: Nearly 1.5 lakh people have been affected as the tourism economy comes crashing down following the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed.
People directly associated with tourism-especially in Pahalgam-say they have been left with nothing, with hardly any tourists seen around.
Ponywalas, nearly 4,000 in number, are among the worst hit. Many say they are struggling to feed their families, sitting idle at home.
Nisar Ahmad Wani, a ponywala who used to earn Rs 600 per day, said he now finds it hard to sustain his family. “Tourism has come to a grinding halt since the attack last month,” he said. Click here to watch video
“There are nearly 4,000 ponywalas who have been left jobless. It’s not just us-everyone has been affected. We are suffering immensely because we were solely dependent on tourists. I used to earn Rs 500-600 per day, but now it has come down to nothing,” he added.
With no tourists around, many are forced to stay home, hoping that the upcoming Amarnath Yatra will help revive their livelihood and compensate for the losses.
“Nobody comes here now. We are sitting idle at home. We are pinning our hopes on the Yatra, but given the situation, we don’t think people will come,” said another ponywala.
Apart from the ponywalas, estimates suggest that nearly 30,000 people who worked in hotels across Pahalgam have also been sent home due to the halt in tourist arrivals.
In addition, there are around 2,000 taxis whose owners were expecting to earn during the tourist season and repay their loans.
Mudasir Iqbal, General Manager at Asad Group of Hotels operating in Pahalgam, said the events of last month have deeply impacted tourism across Kashmir, with Pahalgam being hit the hardest.
He said he has been forced to lay off nearly 250 employees from four different hotels in the area.
“There has been a huge impact. There is no business, and Pahalgam has been badly hit. Be it taxi drivers or ponywalas-everyone has suffered. Around 1.5 lakh people have been left jobless,” he said.
He also highlighted the plight of taxi drivers, many of whom had taken loans and were relying on the tourist season to make repayments.
“People here are solely dependent on tourism. They earn during the tourist season to sustain themselves for the rest of the year,” he said.
Javid Ahmad Shah, a local shop worker, said the shop where he works used to employ at least five people, but due to the dip in business, only two remain while the rest have been sent home.
“Nobody comes here now, and this is the situation across all 200 shops. We were solely dependent on tourism-but now there is nothing,” he said.
While people are urging the Government to intervene and take measures for the revival of tourism in Pahalgam, they also hope the situation will improve and tourists will return to Kashmir.

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