As tourism flow ebbs, passenger arrivals fall 40% at Srinagar airport

After remaining the busiest in its history in the first six months of this year, there has been a 40 per cent decline in passenger arrivals at Srinagar International airport as flow of tourists to the Valley has ebbed.

Officials at Srinagar Airport said that from a peak of 18,000 passengers being handled per day a few months back, the numbers have come down to 10,000 per day. The average airfare between Srinagar and Delhi has also come down and is between Rs 3,500-4,000 now compared to Rs 6,000-6,500 a few months ago.

In the first six months of this year, over 12 lakh tourists had visited Kashmir breaking a decade-old record. However, after the start of Amarnath yatra on June 30, the decline in tourist arrivals started.