After Pahalgam Violence, The Valley Opens Its Gates Again To Travellers, 12 Destinations In Jammu & Kashmir To Welcome Visitors Starting Today
The reopening of the Valley, though partial, is an attempt at rebuilding trust between administration and citizen, host and traveller.
Published : September 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM IST
Tourism in Jammu & Kashmir has always carried the weight of contradictions: snowy slopes and saffron fields on one side, security checks and sudden silences on the other. For months now, the silence has been louder. The terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley in April cast a long shadow, closing nearly half the destinations that once defined the valley’s rhythm of commerce and companionship. Hotels stood empty, shikaras drifted aimlessly, and shopkeepers spoke of “the old days” as if they belonged to another country.
On September 29 today, 12 destinations long barred to outsiders are reopening: Aru Valley, Rafting Point Yanner, Akkad Park, Padshahi Park, and Kaman Post in Kashmir; Dagan Top in Ramban; Dhaggar in Kathua; and the Shiv Cave in Salal, Reasi. Travellers will once again walk in the alpine meadows of Aru Valley, paddle down the rapids at Rafting Point Yanner, and pause beneath the canopies of Padshahi Park. In Jammu, the wind-tossed ridges of Dagan Top and the stillness of Shiv Cave in Salal are ready to host pilgrims, trekkers, and the merely curious.
The reopening is not only an administrative note but a promise to hoteliers, pony owners, and artisans who have survived half a year of uncertainty. Each reopened trail, park, and cave represents dozens of livelihoods restored, however tentatively. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kashmir (CCIK) welcome the decision but insist that reopening must extend to all 87 sites.
Ravi Gosain, President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), called this reopening a “signal of confidence,” in a statement to the media, urging that safety, infrastructure, and promotion be woven together. His reaction is pointed: the valley cannot survive on natural beauty alone; it must be matched with the steady reassurance that visitors will be safe and welcome.
Tourism As Lifeblood
Every reopening in Kashmir is also a return of routine. The houseboat owner on Dal Lake may polish the brass lamps again, hopeful of guests. The artisan in a Srinagar bazaar may lay out walnut carvings and pashmina shawls. The hotelier in Pahalgam may air out empty rooms. The closures deepened mistrust, a feeling among locals that their very existence was being suspended with each restriction. The reopening of 12 sites, though partial, is an attempt at rebuilding that fragile trust between administration and citizen, between host and visitor, between Kashmir and the rest of the world.
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