US ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s visit, praise for Jammu and Kashmir, and indication that negative travel advisories for American citizens might be downgraded have raised hopes for a further boost to tourism in the Himalayan region.
The stakeholders, especially those related to the tourism industry, say that withdrawal of negative travel advisories by the US could prove a major boost for J&K tourism. “This is a very positive development from the US ambassador and has given hope to the travel industry that negative advisory on travel of US citizens will be eased. It will definitely boost tourism in a big way,” said Sajad Kralyari, secretary general of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir.
“The statement has given much needed relief to tourism players in J&K as we have been expecting for a long time that the travel advisories are lifted,” he said.
During his visit to Kashmir and meeting chief minister Omar Abdullah on August 19, Gor said that he had a very good meeting and some follow ups that he hoped to take back to Washington. He praised J&K for its beauty and said that many Americans would enjoy coming to J&K.
“This is an important part of India and I am visiting here for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and so I am thrilled to be here,” he said. He said that the United States puts out travel warnings which are often re-evaluated. “I can’t make any big announcements here today but it is something we are going to look at,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“This is an important part of India and I am visiting here for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and so I am thrilled to be here,” he said. He said that the United States puts out travel warnings which are often re-evaluated. “I can’t make any big announcements here today but it is something we are going to look at,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here, we believe have made some incredible steps in keeping this area safer and making it more safe. So we will be looking at if the travel warning that is imposed/recommended by the US is something that should be downgraded because, as I said earlier, this is a very beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty and opportunities that exist here,” he said.
US and European countries have often advised its citizens not to visit Kashmir after militancy had erupted in the region in the 1990s. After the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year, the US had issued an alert reminding its citizens that the department of state has a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Jammu and Kashmir.
Sajad Kralyari said that the majority of the tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir were domestic visitors from various parts of the country. “Foreign tourists are just 5-10% of the overall tourist footfall. They usually come from countries like Malaysia or Indonesia. European or US tourists don’t come owing to the advisories. Kashmir tourism also gets marred by ‘perception’,” Kralyari said.
He said that foreign tourist flow is a must for Kashmir tourism, adding that US downgrading of travel advisory can cause a ripple effect. “If the US or any other country lifts it, the others will follow,” he said.
Nasir Sogami, advisor to the CM, said that the US ambassador’s statement of downgrading the travel advisory was a good thing for J&K tourism.