Kashmir travel plans unravel as cancellations surge
MUMBAI: A day after the terror attack in Pahalgam, vacationers are already cancelling travel plans to Jammu & Kashmir. An idyllic destination for tourists, especially during summer vacations, J&K is being struck off the bucket list of many – for now, at least.
The Maharashtra Tour Organisers' Association claims as many as 5-7 lakh tourists from Maharashtra alone head to J&K every weekend during summer. While small groups cater to 20-30 tourists, larger operators accommodate 100 tourists per trip.
'Tourism had revived after the abrogation of Section 370 in 2019, and was booming lately. It is hard to say whether Tuesday's attack will have a long-term impact but, for now, clients are cancelling their bookings for Jammu & Kashmir for the next 15 days,' said Dilip Yadav of Tulip Holidays, a member of the association.
Apart from Pahalgam, other popular locations in the Kashmir Valley, such as Gulmarg, have shut their doors to visitors in the wake of the attack. 'Pahalgam became a tourist hot spot thanks to social media influencers,' said another tour operator.
While acknowledging the human tragedy in Pahalgam, many tourists looking forward to a memorable vacation in the Valley are either cancelling or reconsidering their plans. 'My sister-in-law from Pune was to leave for a week-long trip to Kashmir with a group of eight on Tuesday. Their flights were booked and accommodation arrangements made. Now she has decided not to go,' said Madhu Awasti, a Navi Mumbai resident.
A women's travel group from Vashi was on the verge of finalising bookings for an eight-day trip covering Srinagar and Pahalgam in May. 'On Monday, I checked flight rates to Kashmir and was ready to book. Now we've decided to wait,' said Bhavna Bhatia, a group member and frequent traveller to Kashmir since 2011. This is the first time Bhatia is cancelling a trip to the Valley. 'I'm now hoping to go in November, provided the situation stabilises,' she added.
For the Quadri family from Jogeshwari, a trip to Kashmir was to be the perfect escape from Mumbai's scorching summer. The five-member family had locked their itinerary, but Tuesday's attack has prompted them to reconsider. 'We were to travel at month-end and had a budget of ₹50,000 per person. Now we have shelved our plans. We'll probably stretch the budget and opt for an international destination, possibly Thailand,' said Suleiman Quadri.
But what of tourists who are already in the Valley? Tour companies say they have had to make last-minute changes in their itineraries for their clients. According to Veena Patil, who owns Veena World, 'Many want to cancel and come back.'
Patil said some of her clients who were already in Kashmir had to improvise. 'The area (in Pahalgam) is cordoned off. As a result, tourists are heading for Sonmarg and Srinagar. Hotel rooms are unavailable in Srinagar,' she said.
Shailesh Patil of Kesari Travels said his company had not had any cancellations but his clients were worried. 'We had four groups in Pahalgam. They will complete their tours and return to Srinagar.''
Vishwajeet Patil of Raja Rani Travels, revealed, 'With no entry into Pahalgam, we are receiving many requests to cancel advance bookings for trips to Kashmir, but we are asking our clients to reconsider. Besides, we have paid hotel and cab owners for future tours. Locals also want to return to normalcy,' Patil said.
Prabhulal Joshi, who owns Heena Tours, said his company too was flooded with cancellations. 'Many have sought cancellations. Some want to travel to other destinations.''
Meanwhile, the Union tourism ministry issued a directive to all tourism service stakeholders to waive cancellation fees and provide the necessary support to ease travel disruptions due to the Pahalgam attack. Addressed to major online travel aggregators, travel agencies, tour operators, hoteliers and transport providers, the ministry requested immediate support and cooperation.
The letter, signed by Secretary (Tourism) V Vidyavathi, specifically named platforms such as MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Goibibo, ClearTrip, EaseMyTrip, Ixigo, Airbnb, Agoda, Thrillophilia, Booking.com and Expedia, along with tourism and hospitality industry associations.
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