Tourism sector in worst crisis

Arising State Desk

Srinagar,10 February: The government is desperate to revive tourism, as that can be shown also as a sign of normalcy in an otherwise volatile Valley. In J&K, five lakh people are estimated to be directly involved in the tourism industry. Businesses linked with tourism, including handicrafts, restaurants, and transporters, are also facing a financial crisis. J&K is under stress for providing livelihood to the growing number of educated youth, literate and semi-literate people including women. We need to look in words to find answers to these issues, otherwise, our future is very bleak, if we are not in a position to provide employment and livelihoods to our growing number of educated, semi-skilled, and unskilled youth entire society can fall in turmoil.  About half of our population is either wholly or significantly dependent on agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, or fisheries. With low levels of infrastructure and human development and in context replete with inequalities and uncertainties rural India views its future with both hope and trepidation. Successive state governments in J&K have failed to utilize the massive central funds for development and allegedly diverted them to other means. The state has failed to use the money for rural employment, drinking water, healthcare, and other social sectors. J&K is not able to generate enough money, either tax or non-tax, to run its government. About one-third of the revenue comes from the central government as a ‘grant in aid’. The tourism sector counted as one of the prominent areas also witnessing a downtrend in J&K. Data shows that despite J&K receiving 10 percent of taxpayers’ money for one percent of India’s population in the last 70 years of autonomy, its economy has remained fragile, to say the least. Terrorism and debt both flourished even after substantial financial assistance from the Centre. The tourism sector in Kashmir is going through its worst crisis in over two decades, with many hotels closing down, staff being laid off and players in the industry looking for alternative businesses or even job opportunities. Tourism, considered the most visible asset of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, has been pushed to a cold dark corner, where things are going from bad to worse as the situation in the valley remains tense. The J&K government, which spent huge money to advertise Kashmir and trying to get it back on the regional and global tourist map, has not managed any notable success.