By Rajan Narayan

IN the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir valley, the tourism and travel trade has to wake up to its responsibilities. For crises management when there is a terror attack takes place in popular holiday destinations where there is a political situation. They must have some kind of rescue and rehabilitation plans. Above all, to restore the faith of tourists in the destination that is being marred by terrorism.
Tourists are very vulnerable targets. Tourists go to a destination to relax, to unwind, be free from worry and anxiety. To have a good time. Terror is the last think on their mind. Unfortunately, the travel and tourism trade is not sensitized to a terror attacks. Regrettably, there is very little security at tourist destinations. The travel and tourism trade is not equipped for a disaster whether it is a natural disaster or a terror attack. This has been dramatized time and time again.
The city of Mumbai was unprepared for the 9/11 (2002) attack by Pakistan-based terrorists. The iconic Taj Hotel was totally unprepared for its occupation by a group of terrorists. So was the Oberoi Hotel which was the other target of terrorists. As in the case of the terror attack on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025 very recently, the Mumbai terrorists also came from nowhere. It was only later discovered that the terrorists had come all the way from Karachi. The Mumbai terrorists were suicidal bombers. In the case of Pahalgam it is scary that the four terrorists appeared out of nowhere and after killing 26 tourists vanished into thin air. This in a state which has been on the alert for terror attacks ever since independence.
Presumably, the security forces were lulled into complacency by the all is well mantra chanted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit shah. Since the revocation of Article 370 which had conferred a separate status to Jammu & Kashmir peace had returned to the valley. Clearly, the terrorists wanted to prove that there is still a lot of simmering hostility towards the Central government if not the State government.

PAKISTAN’S AIM
CLEARLY Pakistan has not given up its efforts to destabilize Jammu and Kashmir. It is now admitted that there was no security in Pahalgam. Forget about the army and the air force there were no policemen on duty anywhere near the place where the attack happened. After the attack incredibly Amit Shah claimed that the tourists were at the wrong place at the wrong time. That the meadow had not been opened for tourist traffic, this was the explanation for the lack of security.
The exact figures of those who died have not been released. There are no details about those who were injured. What we do know is that it took more than an hour for any kind of medical help to reach the victims. The widow of the 27-year-old naval officer who was killed by the terrorists reveals that he was alive for an hour after he was shot, that he could have be saved if medical aid had arrived in time.
Apparently, the nearest hospital was 40 kms. Even the ambulance from Pahalgam took more than an hour to arrive. The police and even the army may have come earlier but the immediate need was for medical aid. Contrast this with what happens even in the case of an accident on the highways in a developed country like the US or UK. Helicopter ambulance reaches the spot within 10 minutes. Our army and air force have dozens of helicopters in Srinagar and they could have rushed medical air to the victims of the terror attack. Many lives could have been saved if a medical team had reached quickly and stopped the bleeding and loss of blood due to bullet wounds.
The pathetic state of local medical infrastructure is dramatized by the fact that an ENT surgeon from Tamil Nadu, who was amongst the tourist victims, had to be shifted to the All India Medical Institute in Delhi for treatment.
After the terror attack there is generally panic in the area. Besides the tourists who were the unfortunate victims of the terror attack there were many more in the vicinity of the meadow, there were many tourists on their way to the meadow on ponies and cars. There were no facilities for the evacuation of tourists in an emergency like a terrorist attack. It is locals who ran hotels and restaurants, who play taxis and pony rides, who rescued the tourists coming into Pahalgam. It is the locals who consoled and protected tourists. The local Muslim families in a predominantly Muslim locality are protesting against the narrative that this was an attack by Muslims on Hindus. The “nafrat ka dukaan” section of the public in India keep emphasizing that the victims were asked to reveal their names and then shot if they admitted they were Hindu. There is even an obviously planted claim that the terrorists stripped the tourists to see if they were circumcised.

TERROR HAS NO RELIGION
TERROR has no religion. No nationality. Terrorists are mercenaries of those who are being brainwashed into believing that they would get 64,000 houris in heaven if they martyred themselves. But they were not martyrs for Islam, they were martyrs for the hidden agenda of the generals of Pakistan. Let us make a distinction between governments and terrorists. Even though many governments including Israel have been openly supporting the mass murder of the Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere. Whether there is terror unleashed by Russia in Ukraine which has claimed thousands of innocent lives, any state sponsored terrorism is evil and the international community should ruthlessly work to put it down.
Stakeholders in the travel and tourism trade are not geared to deal with terrorism and terrorists. To the contrary the reports tell us that the airlines sought to loot the panicked people who wanted to get out of Kashmir quickly. Reports state that air fares shot up from an average normal of Rs8,000 one way to Rs40,000. The Indian government which sends planes to bring Indian migrants from the US did not bother to organize flights for those wanting to get out of Kashmir. The tour operators who sent them to Kashmir did not take the responsibility of bringing them back.
Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant did make an announcement that he would get the 26 odd Goans trapped in Kashmir back. But he did not send a plane to bring them back or get the Centre to get them back. The tourists were trapped and only returned this last Sunday the 27th after a prolonged stay in terror hit Kashmir.
The travel and tourism industry can play a major role as an early warning system. After all except in thickly forested areas tourists have to use vehicles, including planes, to reach a tourist destination. They have to check into a big or small hotel. They have to cross borders. At the hotel the receptionist, the room boys, can be taught to look out for suspicious activities. If the travel and tourism trade is sensitized it can take precautions and even avert a major terror attack from happening.
The security in tourist destinations like Goa is pathetic. Goa is vulnerable because of its open beaches and as in the case of the 9/11 attacks it would be easy enough for terrorists to come by sea and target the beachside hotel resorts. Also, does the Indian Navy and Naval aviation establishment have any kind of surveillance on the coast of Goa?
Even before a crisis happens the travel and tour agencies should provide tourists with a fact sheet of the destination they’ve booked to go to for a holiday. A fact sheet of contact numbers, the location of medical facilities, what to do in the event of a calamity natural or unnatural. Tourists should have the numbers of local police and appropriate security forces so that a quick response can be mobilized if required. When there is a crisis stake holders in travel and tourism should organize first aid to the victims. They should arrange to have the injured transported to hospitals. They should organize to evacuate those trapped and want to get back to their home states.
The travel and tourism trade need to be sensitized to their responsibilities. After all it is travel and tourism which is the greatest beneficiary of tourism. With this goes the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of tourists. I’m surprised that there has been no response from the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa to the terror attack on tourists in Kashmir.
There may have been naka bandhis by the police and identification of Pakistan citizens in Goa who have all been deported. We do not know if protection has been offered to the Kashmiri traders at the beach towns of Goa? Who might trace retaliatory attacks by Hindutva elements. This is not far-fetched as there have been reports that a Muslim biryani restaurant owner was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh by Hindutva elements. There are also reports of a fanatical Hindutva doctor in West Bengal refusing to treat a pregnant Muslim woman.

GREAT CONCERN
WHAT is of great concern is the attempt to use the incident to further divide communities. The Muslim community in Goa set an example by taking out a rally to condemn the attack upon innocent civilian tourists in Pahalgam. Terror does not have any religion or color and needs to be tackled by all communities together be they Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or other religion.