Srinagar, India - There are almost no tourists in Kashmir's scenic Himalayas. Most hotels and gorgeous pine boats are empty. The resort of Snow Mountain is silent. Hundreds of taxis are parked and idle.

This was the consequence of last month’s shooting massacre, which resulted in 26 people, mainly Indian tourists, died in Indian-controlled Kashmir, followed by Tit-Tat military strikes in India and Pakistan, bringing rivals to the brink of their third war in the region.

"There may be some tourists arriving, but it's almost negligible. It's almost a landing with zero feet," Yaseen Tuman said. "There's a troubling silence now."

Thousands of panic tourists left Kashmir in a few days after a rare tourist kill on April 22 in a perfect meadow in the southern resort town of Pahalgam. After the attack, authorities temporarily shut down dozens of tourist attractions in the area, increasing fear and causing a sharp drop in occupancy.

Graphic images circulated repeatedly through TV channels and social media, deepening panic and anger. India accused Pakistan of supporting the attackers, an allegation denied by Islamabad.

Those who stayed quickly fled after tensions surged between India and Pakistan. The region witnessed a massive cancellation of tourism bookings when the two countries fired missiles and drones at each other. New Delhi and Islamabad arrived on May 10 with a U.S.-mediated ceasefire, but there were few new reservations, the travel agency said.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, vice president of the Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, said hundreds of hotels and hotels in the area had at least 12,000 rooms previously booked until June. He said nearly all bookings have been cancelled and thousands of people associated with the hotel have not had jobs.

"This is a huge loss," Ahmed said.

The decline has had a chain reaction to the local economy. Crafts, food stands and taxi operators lost most of their business.

Idyllic destinations, such as the resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, were once the magnets of travelers, very silent. Colorful hand-carved ships, known as shikaras, are barren, anchored primarily on the often bustling Dal Lake in Srinagar. Thousands of daily wage workers have little jobs.

Boatman Fayaz Ahmed said: “In the past, there were a lot of tourists waiting for a boat ride.

Taxi driver Mohammed Irfan will take visitors to the hillside for a long time and show them the Great Mughal gardens. "Even a half-day break is a luxury, and we will pray for it. Now, my taxi has been stuck for nearly two weeks," he said.

Official data shows that tourism has grown significantly in recent years, accounting for about 7% of the region's economy. Omar Abdullah, a senior elected official at Kashmir, said ahead of the attack on tourists that the government's goal is to increase the economic share of the tourism industry by at least 15% over the next four to five years.

Kashmir, controlled by India, was the main destination for tourists until the armed rebellion armed with Indian rule in 1989. The war wasted the amazing and beautiful area, which was partly controlled by Pakistan and claimed by both countries.

Tourism has gradually recovered as the conflict took root, but occasional military conflicts between India and Pakistan have put tourists in trouble.

But India's government in Prime Minister Narendra Modi canceled semi-autonomous regions in 2019.

According to official data, nearly 3 million tourists visited the area in 2024, up from 2.71 million in 2023 and 2.67 million in 2022. The influx prompted many locals to invest in the industry, establishing family-run hotels, luxury hotels, and a few other options for transportation companies in the area.

Even though the Modi government has ruled Kashmir in recent years, tourists remain unwavering, with militants in the region being inspected in recent years and the influx of tourism is a sign of normal return.

The Holocaust destroyed these claims. Experts say the Modi government’s optimism is largely misplaced, and the rising tourism industry in its boastful areas is a fragile barometer. Last year, the region's chief minister Abdullah expressed optimism.

Tuman, also a sixth-generation tour operator, said he was not too optimistic about the instant revival, as bookings for summer were almost cancelled.

"If everything goes well, it will take at least six months for the tourism industry to revive," he said.

Hotel Association official Ahmed said India and Pakistan need to resolve disputes over prosperity in the region. "Tourism requires peace. If the problem (Kashmir) cannot be solved... maybe two months later, that will be the same thing."