Town wears deserted look as 95% tourists leave in 24 hours

Until Tuesday afternoon, Pahalgam town – a famous tourist destination — was bustling with thousands of tourists from different parts of the country. However, 24 hours later, the town wore a deserted look with a large number of security personnel on the roads.

Tourists immediately began leaving the area for Srinagar or Jammu soon after the attack. “We have been doomed by the attack. Yesterday, there were cars and people on this road; today, you see everyone has gone,” said Ayaz Ahmad, who runs a restaurant in Pahalgam.

He says no one had ever expected such an attack in this place. “Those who carried out this are murderers…they are not humans,” said Ahmad.

A Pahalgam hotelier said this was an attack on Kashmir’s economy. “We don’t know what will happen in the coming days. Who will visit here now?” he added.

Meanwhile, roads towards Pahalgam were heavily guarded and the security forces monitored the entry of every individual carefully. Most of the media personnel were not allowed to proceed towards the Pahalgam market, as the police officials said they had been directed to not allow anyone into the resort town.

Police vehicles were seen escorting tourists who left the town. Officials say around 10,000 tourists would remain present in Pahalgam on a single night. “Around 95 per cent of people have left Pahalgam since the attack,” a senior official told The Tribune.

He said 100 per cent cancellations were reported on Wednesday and Thursday bookings. “Lets us see how the situation develops in the coming days. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said the official.

Officials say tourists have cut short their trips and are going back from many other tourist spots in Kashmir as well.

A senior official in Gulmarg said a lot of tourists opted to leave Gulmarg on Wednesday. “There is a lot of panic among tourists, many of whom have left for Srinagar since Tuesday evening,” said the official.

On Wednesday, the Srinagar airport witnessed an unprecedented rush of travellers going out of the Valley. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah terms it an exodus.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the Valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam. But, at the same time, we totally understand why people would want to leave,” Omar wrote on X.

J & K