4 months ago
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As tourer travel erstwhile again returns to Kashmir astatine the levels seen successful the months earlier the panic onslaught successful Pahalgam successful April, a multi-layer information screen was thrown astir tourer destinations successful the Valley connected eve of the New Year connected Wednesday (December 31, 2025).
The J&K Police utilized facial designation devices to support section terrorists registered by the police, and their supporters, distant from Pahalgam successful southbound Kashmir. Scores of vehicles entering Pahalgam, which is decked up for the New Year celebrations, were checked, and travellers were scanned with facial designation devices, officials said.
Additional checkpoints were acceptable up successful Gulmarg, which borders Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), successful Baramulla district. Special events, including airy and philharmonic shows, unfolded connected Wednesday evening astatine the celebrated wintertime destination, which is covered by a heavy broad of snowfall aft the latest spell of snowfall successful the past 24 hours. Hundreds of tourists are camping successful Gulmarg for New Year’s eve. Most hotels reported afloat occupancy. Accommodation successful Gulmarg includes astir 2,200 beds successful hotels and huts.
Security has been beefed up successful Sonamarg successful cardinal Kashmir’s Ganderbal. Areas adjacent to Baltal, connected the way to the Amarnath Yatra, person been kept retired of bounds for tourists. Sonamarg, which was opened for wintertime tourism for the archetypal clip successful 2024, has besides witnessed a caller spell of snowfall successful the past 24 hours
The renewed popularity of destinations successful Kashmir comes astatine a clip erstwhile the Valley’s tourism assemblage has taken a large deed pursuing the panic onslaught successful Pahalgam, which near 26 tourists dead.
“Tourist unreserved is the aforesaid arsenic it was anterior to April this twelvemonth (the Pahalgam panic onslaught took spot connected April 22). We worked connected rebuilding spot among tourists astatine some the nationalist and planetary levels. The results are disposable today. Tourism revival was besides shaped by coordination betwixt the nationalist and backstage sectors,” Syed Qamar Sajad, Director, Department of Tourism, said.
Around 5,000 tourists reached Kashmir every day successful the past 1 week, officials said. Kashmir has hosted astir 10.47 lakh home tourists successful 2025 compared with astir 26 lakh tourists successful 2024.
