Security heightened in Kashmir as tourist footfalls return

As tourist flow once again returns to Kashmir at the levels seen in the months before the terror attack in Pahalgam in April, a multi-layer security cover was thrown around tourist destinations in the Valley on eve of the New Year on Wednesday (December 31, 2025).

The J&K Police used facial recognition devices to keep local terrorists and their supporters, registered by the police, away from Pahalgam in south Kashmir. Scores of vehicles entering Pahalgam, which is decked up for the New Year celebrations, were checked, and travellers were scanned with facial recognition devices, officials said.

Additional checkpoints were set up in Gulmarg, which borders Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), in Baramulla district. Special events, including light and musical shows, unfolded on Wednesday evening at the famous winter destination, which is covered by a thick blanket of snow after the latest spell of snowfall in the past 24 hours. Hundreds of tourists are camping in Gulmarg for New Year’s eve. Most hotels reported full occupancy. Accommodation in Gulmarg includes about 2,200 beds in hotels and huts.

Security has been beefed up in Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. Areas close to Baltal, on the route to the Amarnath Yatra, have been kept out of bounds for tourists. Sonamarg, which was opened for winter tourism for the first time in 2024, has also witnessed a fresh spell of snowfall in the past 24 hours

The renewed popularity of destinations in Kashmir comes at a time when the Valley’s tourism sector has taken a major hit following the terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 tourists dead. 

“Tourist rush is the same as it was prior to April this year (the Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22). We worked on rebuilding trust among tourists at both the national and international levels. The results are visible today. Tourism revival was also shaped by coordination between the public and private sectors,” Syed Qamar Sajad, Director, Department of Tourism, said.

Around 5,000 tourists reached Kashmir every day in the past one week, officials said. Kashmir has hosted around 10.47 lakh domestic tourists in 2025 compared with around 26 lakh tourists in 2024.