Over 1.5 lakh visitors flock to south Kashmir tourist spots since reopening

Kokernag (Anantnag), Jul 03: Tourist destinations in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, including Kokernag, Verinag, Achabal and Daksum, have witnessed a footfall of over 1.5 lakh visitors since their reopening on June 17, bringing much-needed relief to tourism stakeholders and locals dependent on these places for livelihood.The destinations were earlier closed as a precautionary measure following the Pahalgam attack and were later reopened on June 17 on the directions of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kokernag Development Authority (KDA), Mohd Rouf Rehman said they have jurisdiction over three spots—Achabal, Kokernag and Daksum—which recorded significant tourist arrivals.“From 17th June to 1st July, 1,12,199 local tourists visited these places and enjoyed the beauty of the destinations,” he said. “We also had summer vacations during this period, resulting in a lot of hustle and bustle in Kokernag. There was full occupancy. Kokernag is not limited to the garden only—it is a stretch spread over 80 kilometres, covering Achabal, Chattabal, Kokernag, Daksum, Dindipora, Margan Top, and Sinthan Top.”As per official data, Kokernag witnessed the highest number of visitors in June 2025, with a total footfall of 45,523—comprising 2,860 domestic tourists, 42,656 local visitors, and 7 foreigners.Achabal followed with 40,870 visitors, including 6,602 domestic, 34,266 local, and 2 foreign tourists. Verinag recorded 38,795 visitors—comprising 4,054 domestic, 34,732 local, and 9 foreign tourists. Daksum received the lowest footfall among the four, with 25,806 visitors—1,773 domestic, 24,021 local, and 12 foreign tourists.CEO KDA said the entire administration remains on toes to provide facilities and services to tourists wherever required.“Tourists have always treated Kokernag as a daily tour or day picnic spot. So we are working to develop it as a night-stay destination too. We have around 20-30 huts under various departments like KDA, Tourism, JKTDC, Forest, and Fisheries,” he said.He added, “But these are not sufficient to cater to the increasing number of tourists. We have seen foreign tourists and non-locals visiting as well. That means once we develop good hotel infrastructure and better accommodation facilities, more foreigners would be willing to stay here.”