Residents of the split Himalaya region are known for snow-covered peaks, fast-flowing streams and majestic Mughal gardens, which rely heavily on tourism, but their livelihoods have become one of the first victims of the latest hostilities between Pakistan and India.
The nuclear-weapon neighbors fought two wars in disputed areas, both of which claimed the war in part, while the skirmishes between the troops stationed along the de facto border made Kashmir a frontline for their discord.
But a sharp decline in armed forces and a large part of the four-year ceasefire triggered a tourism boom, bringing more than three million travelers to the Indian side of Kashmir last year, while nearly 1.5 million holidays were on the Pakistani side.
The influx was touted as the main success story of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose autonomy in Kashmir in 2019 caused enormous unrest.
In the early part of this year's peak summer, hotels, boathouses and taxis were almost booked, and then attacked tourists last month and killed 26 men on the grass.
India blames Pakistan on it and announces a series of diplomatic and economic steps targeting its neighbors. Pakistan has denied any role, revealed the tit tat measure and warned of an imminent military strike in India.
Yaseen Tuman, who runs more than 100 years of travel agency and operates multiple houseboats in Srinagar, the main city of Kashmir, India, said almost all of his customers canceled their reservations and his houseboats were empty.
“Our houseboats are crowded and we have no guests now,” Touman told Reuters, sitting on a wooden sofa on a boathouse on Lake Negean.
The Indian travel booking website shows that the boathouse and hotels offer a lot of discounts, but Tuman said he won't lower the rates because he doesn't want the tourists to have a lot of them.
“We will have to prepare for a long break.”
“It will be seriously hurt”
On the other side of Pir Chinasi, located at an altitude of 9500 feet, roadside restaurants, hotels and hotels sparsely occupied by authorities as advised by authorities, fearing India's strikes, despite the fact that it is not that close to the border.
Neelum Valley, located on the border, is one of Pakistan's most popular tourist destinations and is now out of scope.
All nearly 370 hotels and hotels in the valley are now empty. Visitors usually start in May, as temperatures soar in other parts of the country.
“The pain this season will be serious,” he said.
Tourism employs about 16,000 people in the region.
For Syed Yasir Ali on a foreign mission in Islamabad, not being able to go to Neelum Valley might be a depressant, but he was not afraid of visiting Pir Chinasi with his wife and three sons.
“It's safe,” he said, suggesting others are wrongly afraid of visiting. “I'm on the ground, it's safe.”
But worrying is the real economic consequence of a Tuck store run by Musaddiq Hussain.
“Business has completely failed,” he said. “We should keep peace in the country so that we can prosper. “We want peace in both countries.” ”
In Srinagar, taxi driver Tanveer announced for the lost opportunity.
“The streets were packed with people, and there was no place to drive in the city before the horrific murders,” he said. “I was waiting for a passenger all day. I didn't have time to take more work before the attack.”
