Punjab’s Amritsar city was previously a bustling hub for both domestic and international travelers, but now the city has seen a drastic dip in tourists amid the border tensions between India and Pakistan.
A drastic decrease in passengers
The Airport's passenger count was estimated to reach 2 million in 2022 owing to the increasing number of tourists arriving in the city & the robust growth of Amritsar’s airport, serving as a gateway to Northern India for holidays. However, the new armed conflict and related security worries seem to have caused a drastic plunge recently.
When Truescoop interacted with the local vendors, we received a collective consensus that rates have dipped dramatically, while the total inflow of tourists into the city has fallen by 25%. Locals believe that the hospitality sector has observed a dip of 70 to 75% in hotel occupancy rates, which indicates the sharp decline in the number of people visiting the city.
Flight operations hardest hit
In early May 2025, during the initial phases of “India's Sindoor Operation”, the government progressed further by shutting down 32 civilian airports, Amritsar International inclusive, from May 9 to May 15, 2025. This scheduled closure put a stop to every flight coming into and out of Amritsar, which crippled its essential air connections. Airline operators also suffered terrible losses. IndiGo and Air India had to cancel hundreds of flights each day. At the impacted airports alone, IndiGo cancelled 170 flights, the Air India group 115, and SpiceJet 35 flights.
Impact of the economy on the airport and the city
The consequences have been felt straight away and hit hard.
Aviation: Indian carriers seem to be losing business day after day to the tune of several crores, with Amritsar being one of the worst-hit airports.
Hospitality: Hotel bookings in Amritsar have plummeted resulting in massive layoffs of tour operators, guides, and transport.
General Economy: There are massive losses for small and medium enterprises that depend on tourism, like shops dealing in religious souvenirs and memorabilia, since their turnover has dwindled substantially.
TrueScoop News was informed by Shashi Kant Ghoshal, Hotel Manager at Regenta Central Amritsar, that there has been a marked decrease in tourism in Amritsar, Punjab, and even domestic as well as international tourism has decreased drastically. Amritsar usually sees a huge inflow of tourists from Pune, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, as well as overseas tourists. But because of the recent border strain, only local commuters are coming for Darshan.
Ghoshal remarked that luxury accommodation is usually avoided by local tourists, which has led even established hotel chains to suffer financially and lower their prices.
He noted that the Punjab government has been very supportive during these difficult times and has now reopened the Attari border, which is anticipated to assist in boosting tourism. Ghoshal equally stressed that much of the decline is from the false information that was spread during the period across numerous media outlets.
In a conversation with TrueScoop News, Amritsar District Tourist Officer Sukhman Singh informed them that tourism within Amritsar has witnessed a sharp nosedive due to the ongoing conflict and geopolitical strife at the Indo-Pak border. In spite of Amritsar’s long-standing status as one of the prominent tourism capitals of Northern India, the recent turn of events has reduced the footfall to the area greatly. A lot of people are now reluctant to visit Amritsar, Punjab, during the festive period of Holi. However, significantly fewer tourists than expected are foreseen to arrive during the period, with no major crowds in sight.
Much of the downturn was due to Singh’s of the rampant terror and misinformation disseminated by news channels during the intensification of border conflicts and drone strikes from Pakistan. During those times, Amritsar was regarded as one of the potential targets, and there was even some speculation in the media that the Golden Temple itself.
The local economy has been greatly affected. The visitors to major attractions such as the Golden Temple have decreased by approximately 70%. Numerous bookings in hotels and guest houses have been canceled, and major events such as the daily retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border have been put on hold. This has resulted in an absence of work for tour operators, guides, and transport service providers; small businesses that rely on tourism will also be impacted.
Singh remarked how the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner has been a lot of help during this crisis, being quite proactive by frequently publishing alerts to calm people down and stop them from panicking. There are some positive signs of tourism recovering, and the city is more than capable of receiving tourists when the circumstances ground to a safe level.
The capital, which was once flourishing as a metropolis filled with spirituality and culture, is now in the early stages of a deep, prolonged recovery as it deals with the consequences of the geopolitical crisis.