{"id":93565,"date":"2026-01-17T18:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/?p=93565"},"modified":"2026-01-18T22:42:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:12:35","slug":"tourist-arrivals-picking-up-as-conditions-improve-after-pahalgam-attack-jk-chief-secretary-atal-dulloo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/tourist-arrivals-picking-up-as-conditions-improve-after-pahalgam-attack-jk-chief-secretary-atal-dulloo\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourist arrivals picking up as conditions improve after Pahalgam attack: J&#038;K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"jeg_navbar_mobile_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jeg_navbar_mobile jeg_sticky_nav\" data-mode=\"scroll\">\n<div class=\"jeg_mobile_bottombar jeg_mobile_midbar jeg_container normal\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"jeg_nav_row\">\n<div class=\"jeg_nav_col jeg_nav_center jeg_nav_grow\">\n<div class=\"item_wrap jeg_nav_aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"jeg_nav_item jeg_mobile_logo\">\n<div class=\"site-title\">Jammu, Jan 17: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday said that the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir, which suffered a major setback following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent adverse weather conditions, is gradually showing signs of recovery, with tourist arrivals picking up as conditions improve.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"post-wrap\">\n<div class=\"jeg_main jeg_sidebar_none\">\n<div class=\"jeg_container\">\n<div class=\"jeg_content jeg_singlepage\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"jeg_main_content col-md-12\">\n<div class=\"jeg_inner_content\">\n<div class=\"entry-content no-share\">\n<div class=\"content-inner \">\n<p>Dulloo said that a major project has been conceptualised to promote sustainable tourism in emerging destinations with the objective of reducing pressure on traditional hotspots across J and K, and its implementation is being carefully planned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we look at tourism, the impact after the Pahalgam attack and subsequently the rise in incidents of heavy rains and floods caused significant losses in 2025. However, we are now gradually seeing a recovery. As weather conditions improve, tourist arrivals have started increasing again,\u201d Dulloo told PTI in a video interview here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He said that while revival is underway, the government is reassessing its tourism strategy to prepare for rising visitor numbers and sustainable growth. \u201cAs tourism grows, we must also focus on how prepared we are to manage the increasing footfall. This calls for a reassessment of our tourism strategy and capacity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The chief secretary stressed the need to develop new tourist destinations to reduce pressure on traditional hotspots that often exceed their carrying capacity during peak seasons. \u201cBy developing new destinations, tourist footfall will be distributed more evenly. This will generate employment for local communities, lead to infrastructure development, attract investment and help mitigate seasonal tourism peaks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The tourism sector in Kashmir was severely impacted after last year\u2019s April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians, including 25 tourists, were killed by terrorists.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Following the attack, around 50 tourist spots and resorts were closed for security reasons. Several destinations have recently been reopened, and more will be thrown open to tourists after the completion of security audits.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He said a major project has been conceptualised in this direction and its implementation is being carefully planned, including transportation and other infrastructure arrangements. \u201cOur focus will remain on developing new tourist destinations to ensure sustainable growth of the tourism sector,\u201d Dulloo said.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to the SPREAD initiative, the chief secretary said it seeks to decongest overburdened tourist spots by developing eco-sensitive, year-round alternatives while balancing economy, ecology and equity.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He said that with support from the Department of Economic Affairs and implementation through the Economic Reconstruction Agency, the SPREAD project will focus on infrastructure development, waste management, ecological conservation and livelihood generation. \u201cCommunity engagement and private sector participation are central to this initiative, which envisions holistic development across both Jammu and Kashmir regions in line with global best practices,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dulloo also underlined the need for a targeted strategy to convert the rising pilgrim footfall in Jammu into longer tourist stays. \u201cA focused approach is required to promote the region\u2019s wider leisure, heritage, adventure and spiritual attractions beyond the main pilgrimage routes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He stressed proactive use of digital platforms and social media, including collaboration with influencers, to expand outreach and attract national and international tourists. \u201cWe need a comprehensive strategy to convert the massive influx of pilgrims into multi-day tourists by encouraging them to explore experiences beyond traditional pilgrimage circuits,\u201d Dulloo said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting J and K\u2019s potential as a year-round tourism destination, he said that the introduction of adventure activities such as rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping, and water sports would transform the region into a tourism hub while creating significant employment opportunities for local youth.\u2013(PTI)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jammu, Jan 17: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday said that the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir, which suffered a major setback following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent adverse weather conditions, is gradually showing signs of recovery, with tourist arrivals picking up as conditions improve. Dulloo said that a major project has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frontpage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93565"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93567,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93565\/revisions\/93567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}