Bollywood chips in to urge tourists back to Kashmir, MEA appeals for travel advisories to be dropped

Tourists enjoy shikara ride Dal lake in Srinagar on April 28, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Imran Nissar

Bollywood stars and country-wide tour operators are joining hands to instil a sense of confidence that was shattered to some extent by the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which left 25 tourists dead.

Sources said the Ministry of External Affairs is also joining the effort by appealing to countries that issued travel advisories telling their citizens not to visit Jammu and Kashmir after the attack, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada. In a special briefing for about 20 envoys last week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had also made a specific request that countries that had put up the advisories should take them down, and consider the impact the cancellations by tourists would have on the economy in the State, various diplomatic sources told The Hindu.

Officials also said the J&K government and the Centre are likely to launch joint campaigns to see tourism back on track in Kashmir. Since the abrogation of Article 370, tourism has been the Centre’s rallying cry as a sign of a return to normalcy in Kashmir. A record 26 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, and over a dozen new tourism destinations were popularised.

Bollywood actor Atul Kulkarni joined actor Sunil Shetty in advocating that people of the country not cancel their trips to Kashmir. Meeting tourism players in Pahalgam, Mr. Kulkarni said six terrorists cannot terrorise 1.4 crore Indians.

“It’s not possible to terrorise us. Ordinary Indians have a weapon for the first time to defeat terrorism. It’s tourism. People need not cancel their bookings to Kashmir. They should come and meet people and experience the place,” Mr. Kulkarni, who took a shikara ride on the Dal lake on Monday, said.

He said it was the Pahalgam attack that forced him to visit Kashmir. “Terrorists tried to threaten us. I have come to Kashmir to convey the message that it’s a part of our country and we will keep coming to this place. We need to defeat the terrorists’ designs. I appeal to people to not go by WhatsApp and social media’s negative messages. Love and not hate is a solution,” he said.

Mr. Kulkarni’s message came two days after Mr. Shetty made a similar appeal in Mumbai. “My next holiday trip will be to Kashmir. All should plan their holidays to Kashmir. We have to visit Kashmir as it was, is and will remain a part of our country. We will not be frightened. We have to be fearless and convey a message to terrorists,” he said.

Mushtaq Chaya, chairman of the Kashmir Hotel Association (KHA), a body of Valley-based hoteliers, said the terror attack had dented the tourism industry of Kashmir, with 80% bookings being cancelled immediately. However, he said he was hopeful of a fast revival. “We are getting support from tour and travel companies like Puja Travels and others to attract tourists to Kashmir,” he said.

Satish Vaishya, head of the Puja Holiday Mumbai, recently said his company would start the ‘Love Kashmir, Promote Kashmir’ campaign to bring tourists back to Kashmir. “I am hopeful tourism will pick up again,” he said.

Senior National Conference (NC) leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq, considered a close aide of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said the J&K government was mulling ways to reach out to tourism stakeholders and the Bollywood film industry.

“Tourism industry cannot be held ransom by one incident. We plan to push hard to revive it. The message is already out that Kashmir remains safe as people have strongly opposed terrorism and violence,” Mr. Sadiq told The Hindu.

He said the local government and the Centre were on the same page when it came to the revival of tourism in Kashmir.

“Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s efforts to hold an all-party meeting, tourism stakeholders’ conference and special J&K assembly session have sent a clear and positive message from Kashmir to the country. Kashmir and Kashmiris have stood up to the acts of terror. A united voice has emerged from Kashmir and needs to be reciprocated,” Mr. Sadiq said.

Official sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has already extended a helping hand to the government and ensured that no student or trader from Kashmir was harmed outside J&K after the Pahalgam attack. The MHA also facilitated the meetings of J&K Cabinet Ministers with BJP-run States’ Chief Ministers to instil confidence in students studying outside J&K.

(With inputs from Suhasini Haidar in Delhi)