Pahalgam attack: A year on, Kashmir's tourism industry struggles under weight of trauma

A year after the Pahalgam attack, tourism has slowed in Indian-administered Kashmir, hitting lives and livelihoods.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveThe Kashmir town trying to win back tourists after a deadly attack 2 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleZoya Mateen & Auqib JaveedDelhi and PahalgamNurPhoto via Getty ImagesOfficials and locals say that some tourists have returned to Pahalgam - but their numbers are still lowNazakat Ali's phone rings in the evening, as it often does now.

The 30-year-old tourist guide in Indian-administered Kashmir answers with the same practised calm every time - yes, it is safe; yes, he will be there; yes, they should come. On the other end are people planning holidays to the stunning Himalayan region, known for its mountains and meadows.

"There is a lot of fear," he says. "We have to convince them that everything is fine."

A year after militants killed 26 people in Pahalgam town - one of the deadliest attacks on tourists in Kashmir in decades - the region's tourism economy has yet to recover.

In the weeks that followed, authorities shut 48 of 87 tourist sites in the region. Visitor numbers fell sharply, from nearly three million in 2024 to under 1.2 million in 2025, according to official data. Some sites have since reopened, but Baisaran meadow - where the killings took place - remains closed.