Sabzar Ahmad, owner of Dal Roti eatery shop in Pahalgam, said they have not opened their eatery since Wednesday as there are no tourists around. “All the tourists in Pahalgam have left and even if there are a few around, they are staying in hotels and hardly venturing out,” he said. Some owners of hotels and lodges said they downgraded their staff in anticipation of a long dry spell.Sabzar said after the terror attack, the hoteliers and eatery shops in Pahalgam offered discounts to tourists. “The situation has totally changed after the terror attack. This place (Pahalgam) used to be full of activities. It used to remain abuzz with tourists, but now it is deserted,” he said.“Till Tuesday hoteliers, dhabawallas and eatery shops owners and staff in Pahalgam had no time to take breakfast, lunch or dinner for themselves due to the continued rush of the tourists. Due to the rush, there was booking of tables and tourists had to wait for their turn, but now it is empty and all tourism stakeholders, including hoteliers, eatery owners, ponywalas and labourers, are staring at a dark future,” Sabzar said.
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