As tourism flow ebbs, passenger arrivals fall 40% at Srinagar airport

An official said that enquiries and bookings for October and November have seen a surge in the recent days compared to the same period last year

After remaining the busiest in its history in the first six months of this year, there has been a 40 per cent decline in passenger arrivals at Srinagar International airport as flow of tourists to the Valley has ebbed.

Officials at Srinagar Airport said that from a peak of 18,000 passengers being handled per day a few months back, the numbers have come down to 10,000 per day. The average airfare between Srinagar and Delhi has also come down and is between Rs 3,500-4,000 now compared to Rs 6,000-6,500 a few months ago.

In the first six months of this year, over 12 lakh tourists had visited Kashmir breaking a decade-old record. However, after the start of Amarnath yatra on June 30, the decline in tourist arrivals started. Though the yatra culminated on August 11, the rush of tourists is yet to touch the March-June season.

An official of the Tourism department said that after the start of the Amarnath yatra, Pahalgam and Sonamarh – two among three main tourist destinations -- almost remained out of bounds for the visitors due to security reasons.

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“We expect a flow of tourists again during Puja holidays. While post-Covid tourism is experiencing several changes and trends, people associated with tourism in Kashmir are prepared for it better than ever,” he said.

The official said that enquiries and bookings for October and November have seen a surge in the recent days compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, to handle the rush of passengers in a better way, authorities at Srinagar Airport are constructing a new integrated terminal which is at an advanced stage and will be interlinked with existing buildings.

“With the construction of the new building, the annual passenger capacity at the airport will increase to 6.5 million from the existing 2.5 million,” they said and added a multi-level car parking will also be constructed which will have capacity to accommodate 1,000 vehicles.