Kashmir killings shatter Modi s tourism success in troubled region

SRINAGAR - Images and videos of gunshots ringing out in a meadow, bloodied bodies lying on the ground, and people fleeing across a dry river bed have shattered Kashmirs emergence as Indias new tourism hotspot.

The regions strikingly beautiful mountains, valleys and grand Mughal-era gardens had drawn record tourist arrivals stemming from five years of relative safety. Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had touted the tourism boom as among his signature achievements.

But Tuesdays attack by suspected militants who killed at least 26 tourists and wounded many more in Kashmirs scenic Pahalgam area, known for its glowing Himalayan peaks and fast-flowing streams, has left panicked tourists seeking an early exit at the start of the busy summer season.

Modi, whose decision to strip Muslim-majority Kashmirs partial autonomy in 2019 after decades of anti-India violence led to widespread protests, and his finance minister both cut short separate overseas trips after vowing justice.

He took a meeting of his top lieutenants at the airport itself upon return. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim fully, and had been plagued by years of insurgent violence.

Locals have called for a one-day protest against the deadliest such attack in Kashmir in decades, tourist operators are reporting massive cancellations, and airlines are running additional return flights from Kashmirs main city of Srinagar.

Tourism is the backbone of the Kashmir valleys economy, and has been promoted heavily by the government and Indian airlines.

Arrivals hit a record high of more than 3 million last year, from fewer than 831,000 in 2018, as Indias widening middle class splurged on travel post-COVID, government data showed.

But some Kashmir hardliners have derided the influx as a cultural invasion by visitors from the rest of mostly Hindu India.

We have a history of hospitality, but some