Latest news with #MushtaqAhmedChaya
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Valley Makes Mayday Call as Tourism Tanks
HighlightsAirlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Air India have requested the Indian government to waive user development and aviation security fees at Srinagar airport for one year to attract tourists back to Jammu and Kashmir after a recent terrorist attack. The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam has severely impacted tourism, with daily passenger arrivals at Srinagar airport dropping to 4,061, nearly half of the pre-attack numbers, and airlines reducing flights from 92 to around 50 daily. Hoteliers in Kashmir are experiencing a significant decline in business, with occupancy rates close to zero and discounts of 30-50% being offered on accommodations, prompting requests for financial assistance from the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Association. Airlines and the hospitality industry have asked the government for incentives to revive tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, which has come to a standstill after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India have asked the government to waive the user development and aviation security fees at the Srinagar airport for a year so that they could offer cheaper tickets to passengers travelling to Kashmir. Currently the airport charges a user development fee of ₹1,050 and aviation security fee of ₹200 per traveller. These are included in air ticket prices. 'After the Pahalgam incident, tourists are terrified, and no one is travelling to the Kashmir region. There is no demand for air travel to and from Kashmir and hotels are empty there,' the Federation of Indian Airlines wrote to the government last week. 'Apart from security, financial measures are important to rebuild traffic,' the airline lobby group said in a letter that ET has seen. The targeted attacks on tourists in Pahalgam took place at a time when Jammu and Kashmir was witnessing a tourism boom. The number of visitors was at a 15-year high, and the Union Territory's own revenue generation had started showing signs of improvement. On Monday, 4,061 passengers arrived at the airport, almost half of what the airport handled a day before the attack. Following the terrorist attack, India did retaliatory strikes in Pakistan during which multiple airports near the border, including Srinagar, were shut down. Airlines have also reduced flights and are operating around 50 daily flights to Srinagar compared with 92 they operated before the attack. Hotels in Kashmir are currently offering discounts of 30-50% which was never the case, said Mushtaq Reshi, president of the domestic tour operators ' association in Kashmir and managing director of Essence Holidays. On a property such as Treebo Vitasta Villa in Srinagar is available for ₹6,839 a night, down from ₹16,886 before the terror strike. Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Association and chairman and founder of the Mushtaq Group of Hotels, said his association, during a recent meeting with J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, has sought support for hoteliers in terms of interest waivers on loans for at least six months. 'We have also requested for relief on electricity bills and other expenses. The business is badly hit and occupancies are almost zero,' he added.
New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Kashmir tourism stumbles after Pahalgam terror attack, but industry leaders remain hopeful
NEW DELHI: Tourism in Kashmir, which had been on the rise since the Covid pandemic, has come to a standstill following the the According to the Association of Hoteliers in the Valley, footfall has plummeted drastically, and 80 percent of bookings have been cancelled in the last four days. 'People are obviously scared and don't want to come to Kashmir, so they are sending requests for cancellations. So far, 80 percent of bookings have been cancelled. However, this is secondary. Whatever has happened is unfortunate. We have no regrets about the business; for us, the well-being of our guests is foremost. We hope the situation will improve soon,' said Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya, President of the Kashmir Hotels Association (KHA). The association held a press conference on Saturday with their business associates, in which travel and tour operators from other parts of the country participated. It was a confidence-building measure. Chaya, who is also the Founder and Chairman of The Mushtaq Hotel Group, said that the booming tourism in Kashmir was the result of joint efforts and years of hard work. 'The confidence in the whole country had declined over the last 30 years. And now, once again, our credibility has taken a hit. On Saturday, all the people who work with us from across the country had come. Still, there are a good number of tourists in Kashmir… I will say that time is the best healer,' he added. In 2024, about 29.5 lakh tourists visited the Valley, including 66,000 foreign nationals. The tourist season in Kashmir typically starts around March and lasts until August or September. During the season, the average monthly footfall is 2–3 lakh. As tourists are now calling off their plans to visit Kashmir, many hotels and restaurants, particularly in Pahalgam, have closed. Despite the slump in the Union Territory following the incident, industry leaders—including hoteliers and tour operators in the Valley—are hopeful of a resurgence in business. Rajiv Mehra, General Secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), said that while some cancellations are inevitable, with support from all stakeholders, tourism will surely bounce back. 'FAITH stands shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Jammu & Kashmir's tourism and hospitality sector. We share in their pain and reaffirm our unwavering support. The resilience of the people of Kashmir has always inspired us. Today, more than ever, they need our solidarity, compassion, and encouragement,' said Mehra. Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson of the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), also emphasized the need for unity in the tourism industry. 'Kashmiris are certainly resilient. I think we just need to stand together to condemn the attack and support them in every way we can—by supporting tourism. We'll have to work on making it a safe destination again,' she said.
