Kolkata: While the recent tragic attack in Pahalgam and divisive warnings from state BJP leaders have cast a shadow, the allure of Kashmir for travel-loving Bengalis seems undimmed. Initial anxieties and hesitation following the violence have seemingly begun to dissipate, with tour operators reporting a steady stream of inquiries and bookings for the peak autumn season.Last month, BJP’s leader of the opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, advised Bengalis against visiting “Muslim-dominated” areas in Kashmir following the Pahalgam incident. Evoking the grief of the wife of Bitan Adhikari, a Bengali civilian killed in the Pahalgam attack, he said, “Life comes first. Keep yourself safe. Keep the children safe. Go to our Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha. Travel the whole country.”Kids playing in the water at Shalimar Garden, Srinagar. Photo: Aparna BhattacharyaThe warning, explicitly discouraging travel to Muslim-majority regions like Kashmir, landed as the season for Bengali travel approaches. It is around Durga Puja when Bengalis, especially in West Bengal, usually start their holiday travels. During this culturally significant festival, there’s an increase in both domestic as well as international travel. Immediately after the Pahalgam attack, Shibaji Pal, a popular travel influencer in West Bengal, visited Kashmir and posted multiple videos highlighting the warmth and respect shown by locals towards tourists.“The local people (in Kashmir) consider tourists as their own, which is a huge thing, and they have a separate respect for Bengalis. I saw adequate security cordon throughout the entire area. As a result, I did not see any fear or panic regarding security,” shared Pal. In July, in an attempt to proactively appeal to Bengali tourists, Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, attended the Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) in Kolkata. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also publicly urged people to visit Kashmir, stating, “There is nothing to fear in Kashmir. We urge people to go back,” and offered her support to help bring back tourism. These assurances seem to be resonating louder than the BJP’s caution.J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah at TTF 2025. Photo: Facebook“The rush to go to Kashmir that happens every year starts increasing after the 15th of August. The number of inquiries we are getting this time and the bookings that have started seem to be at the same rate. Bengali tourists who are coming to book are not accepting the blaming of one community for a single incident,” said Saibal Pathak, owner of Nature Camp Travels which caters to the premium and luxury segment.Following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, almost 100 travel agencies and partners in Kolkata united for a campaign to support the revival of tourism in Kashmir. The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the oldest and largest association in the travel industry, has launched the “Let’s Visit J&K” or “Chalo Kashmir” campaign to address concerns about tourism in the region.The ground reality for tour operators in West Bengal reflects a positive trend. While initial reactions to the Pahalgam attack did create a sense of apprehension, the situation appears to be slowly normalising.“Bookings have not started this time. But having been in this tourism business for so many years, I feel that the number of Bengali tourists in Kashmir will increase even more this time,” said Anusua Basu of Mercury Tour and Travels.“A shock, a fear, a panic was created about going to Kashmir… However, despite not getting a huge response at the beginning, the picture is slowly changing. It might take some time to become completely normal,” added Prashant Majhi, of Ankur Tour and Travels.The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department is also actively working to reassure potential visitors. Ahsanul Haque, the tourist officer in the Kolkata office, reported a significant number of direct inquiries at their Kolkata office regarding all aspects of travel to the region. Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) 2025 in Kolkata. Photo: Facebook“The Amarnath Yatra is going on smoothly now, and it is crowded with tourists there as well. According to the news received last week, most hotels are almost booked for October, and needless to say, tourists from West Bengal are in the majority there,” said Haque. Zara Fayez, owner of a well-known tour operator in Kashmir, Journey Jive, echoed the sentiment. “The Amarnath Yatra is currently going on, and many Bengali-speaking people have come. They are our guests. The incident in Pahalgam has made us hang our heads in shame. But we are trying our best to ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” he said. Airfares for flights between Kolkata and Srinagar have increased sharply since the last week of September. The cost of a round trip ticket for the September to December period is now at least 40% higher than current prices, reflecting a surge in demand.Translated from Bangla by Aparna Bhattacharya.