Kashmir to Host National Tourism Mart in April as Govt Pushes Revival | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir will host a major national-level tourism event next month in a bid to revive visitor inflow to the Valley after last year’s Pahalgam massacre that left 26 people dead and dealt a severe blow to the sector.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced that Kashmir Travel Mart 2026 will be held on April 14 and 15, bringing together around 250 tourism stakeholders from more than 20 states across the country.

“J&K Tourism is set to host the Kashmir Travel Mart-2026 on 14-15 April, bringing together around 250 stakeholders from over 20 states across the country,” the chief minister said in a post on X. He said the event would showcase the region’s tourism potential through craft safaris, curated destination tours and business-to-business engagements.

The chief minister described the event as a “significant initiative aimed at strengthening tourism linkages and further positioning Kashmir as a premier global travel destination”.

The tourism sector in Kashmir had witnessed a strong surge in recent years but suffered a major setback after the attack on tourists in Pahalgam last year, followed by heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Several tourist destinations were temporarily closed in the aftermath of the incident, significantly affecting visitor arrivals.

Officials said the proposed travel mart would be the largest outreach initiative of the present government aimed at rebuilding confidence in the sector and reconnecting the Valley with the domestic tourism market.

The government’s efforts to revive tourism are already showing early signs of recovery. The Valley has recorded strong tourist footfall this year, particularly after heavy snowfall at major destinations.

Large numbers of visitors are also arriving to witness the blooming tulips at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, located at the foothills of the Zabarwan Range. The garden, which opened this week, is displaying around 18 lakh tulips of more than 70 varieties, along with nearly one lakh other bulbous flowers, including daffodils, hyacinths and narcissus.

Tourism stakeholders in the Valley welcomed the initiative. Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya said such measures were necessary to revive the sector and rebuild confidence among visitors.

He said tourism players across the Valley would extend full support to the event, adding that initiatives of this nature were essential for the region’s economy at a time when the industry was recovering from last year’s setback.