Reviving Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir: Industry Plans Campaigns and Packages

Strategic Insights -

As tensions ease between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the travel industry is gearing up to revive tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. Industry bodies such as the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) are planning special packages and campaigns to restore traveler trust and ensure safety and security of tourists. The industry plans to work with airlines, hotels, and local tourism operators to offer promotional deals and personalized care as part of a "Let's Visit J&K" campaign.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) plans to launch a "Let's Visit J&K" campaign to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, offering special promotional packages and personalized care to travelers.
  • TAAI will work with hotels and local tourism operators to offer discounted and reasonably priced packages, targeting domestic tourists within India.
  • The association is inviting airline partners to provide promotional airfares to encourage people to travel to Jammu and Kashmir from June onwards, subject to ceasefire and improved security conditions.
  • Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) president Ravi Gosain stated that the attack on tourists was an attempt to derail tourism, and the association plans to send out agents to assess and evaluate the situation on the ground.
  • Habibullah Pandow, MD of Kamran Tours and Travels, emphasized the need for the central and state governments to play a pivotal role in restoring tourists' trust and announced plans to hold roadshows within India to promote tourism in Kashmir.
  • J&K hotel occupancy has ranged between 50% and 60% and was one of the first markets to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic, with occupancy crossing 50% as early as in the first quarter of 2021, according to Karan Mahesh, a senior sales representative at STR, a CoStar Group firm.

Statistics:

  • Hotel occupancy in Jammu and Kashmir has ranged between 50% and 60%.
  • J&K hotel occupancy crossed 50% as early as in the first quarter of 2021.
  • The number of tourists in Kashmir has trickled down to hundreds since the attack.

Sources:

  • Anumeha Chaturvedi, New Delhi: "Industry bodies, airlines, hotels and local tourism operators plan 'special packages' to revive J&K Tourism"
  • Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)
  • Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO)
  • Karan Mahesh, senior sales, South and Southeast Asia, STR, a CoStar Group firm
  • Habibullah Pandow, MD of Kamran Tours and Travels, and vice president of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir