According to multiple reports, militants killed 26 people in the town of Pahalgam a year ago, in one of the deadliest attacks on tourists in Kashmir in decades. Authorities shut 48 of 87 tourist sites in the region after the attack, and Baisaran meadow, where the killings took place, remains closed. Visitor numbers fell from nearly 3 million in 2024 to under 1.2 million in 2025, with Pahalgam recording about 259,000 visitors between January and mid-April 2025, down from over 469,000 in the same period before the attack.
The attack triggered four days of military conflict between India and Pakistan. India accused a Pakistan-based group of carrying out the killings; Pakistan denied the charge. A ceasefire was announced four days after the attack.
There is a lot of fear. We have to convince them that everything is fine.
Nearly 3,000 young men were detained for questioning after the attack, and authorities demolished the homes of suspected militants in some areas. Officials say the security situation has since stabilised. According to BBC News - World, Nazakat Ali, a tourist guide, described a lot of fear and the need to convince tourists that everything is fine. Mohammad Abubakar, a hotel owner, told BBC News - World that after April they earned almost nothing. Abdul Waheed Bhat, head of the pony riders' association in Pahalgam, told BBC News - World that the attack sent a very negative message, different from previous difficult times. It remains unclear when Baisaran meadow will reopen or what specific measures authorities are taking to restore tourism.
But after April, we earned almost nothing.
We've seen difficult times before. But this attack is different. This has sent a very negative message.