This winter, Christmas festivities liftspirit of moribund Kashmir tourism

Christmas celebrations lifted the spirit of moribund tourism industry in Kashmir on Thursday (December 25, 2025). Hundreds of locals and domestic tourists flocked to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, where a terror attack earlier this year threw a spanner in the growing tourist footfall.  

The centre of attraction for tourists was the Saint Mary church at Gulmarg in north Kashmir. Built in 1902, the well-lit church on a snow-laden highland in the Gulmarg meadow saw visitors experiencing the Christmas celebrations. “Gulmarg provides a perfect backdrop for Christmas celebrations. Snow, bells tolling and festivities all round,” said Naresh Kumar, a tourist from New Delhi.

According to local hoteliers, occupancy of most hotels jumped from around 20% to around 70% on eve of Christmas. The tourist hotspot has around 2300 beds. 

In south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which saw a major terror attack on April 22 this year, Maira Gupta, a six-year- old tourist from Maharashtra inaugurated the winter festival. “Maira won millions of hearts in Kashmir by inaugurating the winter festival, which will continue till the New Year,” an official of the tourism department said.

J&K’s summer capital Srinagar held a Christmas Kehwa Fest on the banks of the Dal lake in Srinagar to celebrate Christmas. Kehwa is a local saffron-based brew. “Our focus is the revival of tourism. These initiatives will bring a big change for Kashmir tourism,” said Baber Chowdhary, head of the J&K Hotel and Restaurant Association (JKHARA).

A fresh spell of heavy snowfall in upper reaches of Kashmir earlier this week has come as a good omen for the tourism industry. “Footfall has increased significantly since the snowfall. Several hotels are packed. It’s picking up,” said Waseem Raja, Joint Director of the Tourism Department.

Kashmir witnessed at least 40% drop in tourist footfall due the Pahalgam attack and the May 7-11 military confrontation between India and Pakistan. 

Mr. Raja said Christmas provided a platform to celebrate festivals together. “Kashmir has the tradition of joining the celebration of major festivals. We saw locals joining tourists to celebrate Christmas. We are hopeful of people getting together to celebrate New Year and Lohri,” Mr. Raja said.

Buoyed by the increase in the tourist footfall, the tourism department was planning to organize a series of events to attract more tourists. “Upcoming months are packed with promotional events. We are working on winter tourism and next year’s spring tourism. Roadshows will be held across the country to increase the footfall,” Mr. Raja added.