The tourism sector in Ladakh has been hit hard after the recent unrest in Leh, which took off after the arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk, a high profile activist. The area, which has already seen cancellations following the terror attack in April, Pahalgam, is experiencing another round of cancelations in the wake of the violence that happened last week.
On September 24, indefinite curfew was declared in Leh town following a series of clashes that ignited following a shutdown convened by a constituent of Leh Apex Body that has been in the forefront in demanding statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. The event soon got out of control and resulted in the death of at least four individuals and over 150 others were injured.
Due to the curfew, which is accompanied by the internet and mobile services suspension, many tourists have been caught in a fix and the travel industry has been hit even more. Hotel, transport and hospitality operators report that cancellations have been increasing rapidly over the last one week and this poses another blow to a region that is largely reliant on seasonal tourism.
Hotel manager Naseeb Singh who has been working in Leh almost a decade, indicated that the magnitude of the upheaval is never experienced before. Guests are booking out nearly every day in the past one week. The town is closed up since Wednesday, too, he said; so the supplies are scarce.
Rigzin Dorjey, a local transporter, indicated that tourism in Ladakh had just started recovering following the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, and caused a short military standoff between India and Pakistan. The Pahalgam incident crippled tourism. A month after Operation Sindoor we had visitors only just starting to come. but the disturbance of Wednesday, has struck down at us again, he said.
One of the local hotelsiers who asked to remain anonymous, told me that the locals and business people are looking forward to peace and normalcy.
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