India-Pakistan conflict: As fear ripples through Kashmir following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, the region’s tourism industry hangs in the balance. On Friday, Shark Tank India judge and Shaadi.com founder, Anupam Mittal urged that “what Kashmir needs is tourists to come back,” as he took to X, to share a picture of his tickets to Kashmir.
“What Kashmir really needs is tourists to come back so I booked my ticket! If we vanish, they win. If we travel, Kashmir & India win,” the Shark Tank judge posted on X.
Anupam Mittal’s post comes nearly a week after India-Pakistan tensions escalated post Operation Sindoor, with Pakistan firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and violating the ceasefire “understanding” with India. At least 32 airports, including Srinagar, was shut in the aftermath of the recent developments.
What did netizens say?
Netizens reacted to Anupam Mittal’s post, applauding him for his gesture and spirit.
“Amazing. Love the spirit sir,” wrote one user, with an emoji.
“Aptly Said. We need to travel back with full swing and empower the local economy over there,” added another.
Anupam Mittal’s LinkedIn post about Kashmir
The Shaadi.com CEO had also posted about his upcoming Kashmir trip on his LinkedIn account, which gained a lot of traction.
Sharing reasons for booking the trip, Mittal wrote: “This is not about defiance, it’s about showing up.”
The Shark concluded his long post adding: “Because if we let Kashmir’s economy crumble, if we let fear win, then those who lost their lives in Pahalgam, will have died in vain. We stood behind our Army, now let’s stand beside our people. Here’s my ticket, hope you will book yours too.”
Kashmir tourism under threat
Following the Pahalgam horror, at least 62 per cent of families who had travel or pilgrimage bookings to Kashmir between May and December 2025, cancelled their bookings, showed a survey by Local Circles.
The LocalCircles survey gathered over 21,000 verified responses from 361 districts. Respondents included 63% men and 37% women. The responses came from tier 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and rural areas.
Kashmir saw record tourist footfall, with over 2.3 crore visitors already in 2025. It was expected to have a strong season.
