J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah is eyeing financial assistance from the central government to revive the tourism sector
Shark Tank India Judge and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal has urged people to travel to Jammu and Kashmir to revive its tourism-driven economy. Mittal, in a post on social media platform X on May 16, mentioned his upcoming visit to J&K and urged people to do the same to make Kashmir and India win. His message comes at a time when tourism in J&K has stalled post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and amid escalating India-Pakistan tension.
“What Kashmir really needs is tourists to come back, so I booked my ticket! If we vanish, they win. If we travel, Kashmir & India win,” said Anupam Mittal on X.
A similar request was made by him via a post on LinkedIn and mentioned that to honour those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, we must not let Kashmir’s economy crumble.
“Because if we let Kashmir’s economy crumble, if we let fear win, then those who lost their lives in Pahalgam, will have died in vain. We stood behind our Army, now let’s stand beside our people,” he said.
The attack and the ongoing tension have impacted tourism in J&K at a time when the UT is supposed to witness maximum footfall. The tourism sector is the main driver of the UT’s economy and contributes around 7.4% to the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of J&K and employs over 1 million people directly and indirectly. This makes the flow of tourists a crucial factor in UT’s economy.
But Anupam Mittal isn’t the only one advocating for tourism revival in Kashmir. J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah is eyeing financial assistance from the central government to stabilise the tourism sector.
“In this regard, I plan to engage with the Tourism Department and relevant authorities to advocate for a dedicated relief package from the Government of India,” said the CM.