Kashmir tourism to launch 50% discount campaign to revive sector post-Pahalgam attack
Srinagar: In a bid to revive Kashmir’s tourism sector following the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, tourism stakeholders, in collaboration with the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department, are reportedly launching a four-day high-profile promotional initiative titled the ‘Fame Tour’, starting May 27.
The campaign’s highlight is a 50 percent discount on travel packages, aimed at attracting tourists back to the Valley after the incident in Pahalgam triggered a sharp 90 percent drop in bookings. The event, scheduled to run until May 30, will bring national tour operators, prominent hoteliers, and key media representatives to iconic destinations including Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sonamarg, and Gulmarg, as reported by the Deccan Herald on Sunday.
General Secretary of the J&K Hoteliers Club, Tariq Ghani, said the itinerary begins at Srinagar Airport, from where participants will travel to Pahalgam for ground-level interactions with local stakeholders such as hoteliers, ponywalas, and residents.
Ghani noted that the initiative is not just about tourism promotion but also about preserving livelihoods. “This is a united effort to counter the narrative of fear. We are not just showcasing our destinations, but also announcing a massive 50 percent discount in travel packages to ensure that our three lakh tourism-dependent workers are not pushed into financial distress,” DH quoted Ghani as saying.
He added that tourism players, including hoteliers, houseboat owners, transporters, and tour operators, are also preparing to warmly welcome pilgrims arriving for the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2025, reinforcing the Valley’s tradition of hospitality and interfaith harmony.
In a notable move, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also been invited to interact with the visiting delegation, media, and stakeholders.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
