Vacation plans take a hit amid terror attack, adverse weather

Time of India

5 days ago

Bhubaneswar: For residents of Odisha looking forward to vacationing in places with cooler and pleasant weather, this year's summer has forced many to cancel such plans in the backdrop of terror attacks and adverse weather conditions.
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The attack in Pahalgam last month caused many to cancel their trips to Jammu & Kashmir, which otherwise is a popular choice among tourists in Odisha during summer. Additionally, heavy rainfall in the hills and extreme hot and humid conditions in the plains further disrupted holiday plans. Popular summer getaways in the state like Puri, Gopalpur, Chandipur and Koraput also saw fewer visitors due to harsh weather conditions.
With schools closed for the summer break, many families were looking forward to a peaceful getaway, but the disruption came as a letdown. "We booked our tickets for Kashmir back in March for a vacation in May. But after the Pahalgam attack, we didn't want to take any chance with the kids. Safety comes first. It's unfortunate because this was our first planned trip in two years," said Pallavi Das, a software professional from Bhubaneswar.
Many who turned to popular hill stations in the northeast, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand as alternatives faced another hurdle of heavy monsoon rains that arrived earlier than expected and reports of landslides, road blockages and flash floods in the northeast led to a flurry of cancellations.
"After a lot of dilly-dallying, we decided to visit the popular summer getaways of Shimla and Manali before the school holidays were over and to get respite from the hot and humid conditions in the state.
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But then we saw the weather forecast of rain in Himachal Pradesh in the next few days. We didn't want to risk getting stranded and there is no point in staying in a hotel after spending so much," said Rashmita Swain, a homemaker in Bhubaneswar.
Travel agents across Odisha confirmed a surge in last-minute cancellations and refund requests. "After the terror attack and with the monsoon coming early, around 60% of our May and June bookings were cancelled.
Almost all bookings to Northeast have been cancelled for June," said Sanjay Mishra, owner of a Bhubaneswar-based travel agency.
Families that opted for destinations in the plains like Kolkata, Hyderabad or Vizag faced sweltering heat and oppressive humidity. "We went ahead with our Vizag trip thinking it would be better than staying home. But the heat was unbearable. We stayed indoors most of the time. It felt like we wasted money just to change rooms," said Arvind Patnaik, a banker from Berhampur.
"The beautiful beaches of Odisha like Puri, Gopalpur or Chandipur are weekend getaways to relax during summer where the temperature is usually lower than what it is in cities. But this year, the humidity levels are high, making it very discomforting and children are not ready to go out of air-conditioned rooms," said Mrinalini Mohapatra, a resident of Saheed Nagar in the city.