‘Resume direct flights, reduce hotel tariffs to revive tourism in Kashmir'
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
While all flights to Srinagar, Jammu and over two dozen other areas were suspended in May, as India conducted air strikes against terror hubs in Pakistan, some services including direct flights from Kolkata to Srinagar by IndiGo Airlines and Air India Express have not resumed after hostilities ceased on May 10. IndiGo has indicated that it will resume the direct flight from June 16.
Last month, TOI wrote about the 'Chalo Kashmir' campaign, a strong community-tourism industry connect initiative launched by the Travel Agents' Association of India (TAAI), which handles around 4 lakh tourists from Kolkata in a year, around 40,000 of whom travel to Kashmir.
Taking the campaign forward, TAAI started a new campaign called Rally for Valley to boost tourism in Kashmir.
"We are in talks with the Union govt as well as airlines and hotel bodies to put a cap on tariffs that can help us shape attractive packages for tourists," said TAAI president Sunil Kumar. "As for safety, we are visiting the valley with our families. Tourists have nothing to fear. People here are among the most hospitable.
This is the best time to visit the Valley," he added.
Over 15 lakh tourists visited Kashmir last year. The Valley was packed with tourists again this year before the terror attack triggered mass cancellations. The downturn in tourists has hit Kashmiris hard. "In April, we were charging Rs 5,000 for a round trip to Pahalgam from Srinagar. Now we are taking tourists even for Rs 3,000," said Md Rouf, a driver. Restaurants like Lazeez, which had to turn down guests two months back, are now giving special offers to fill tables.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"Very few rooms have been booked across several hotels. Had it not been for the terror attacks, these hotels would have been packed. These hotels should take a Covid-time-like approach and cut down on tariffs. We have set ourselves a target until Sept this year by when we intend to revive tourism back in Kashmir," said TAAI chairman (east) Anjani Dhanuka.
The newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express, travelling through the landmark Chenab Bridge, is also being promoted as a game changer. "Kolkata will host the first roadshow promoting Kashmir as a safe destination. We are also regularly updating our social media handles with snippets and current activities in popular destinations in Srinagar, Pahalgam, Jammu, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and other places to encourage tourists from Kolkata," said Manav Soni, TAAI national committee member.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
CleanMax files DRHP with SEBI for ₹5,200 crore IPO
Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions, a commercial and industrial renewable energy provider , on Monday said it has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to raise ₹5 ,200 crore through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). The IPO, with a face value of ₹1, is a mix of fresh issue of shares up to ₹ 1,500 crore and an offer-for-sale up to ₹ 3,700 crore by promoters, investors selling shareholders, according to the official press release. It added that the proceeds from its fresh issuance worth ₹1,125 crore will be utilised for repayment or pre-payment, in part or full, of all or certain outstanding borrowings of the company or its subsidiaries, and general corporate purposes. The release added that the company, in consultation with the book-running lead managers, might consider a further issue of specified securities, aggregating up to ₹300 crore. 'The pre-IPO placement, if undertaken, will not exceed 20 per cent of the size of the fresh issue. If such placement is completed, the fresh issue size will be reduced,' it said. The offer also includes a subscription reservation by eligible employees, and a discount is being offered to eligible employees bidding in the employee reservation portion. As of July 31, 2025, CleanMax had 2.54 GW of operational capacity, and 2.53 GW of contracted capacity. Further, it also has 5.07 GW of projects under advanced stage capacity and under-development capacity. Since its inception in 2010, According to the release, the company's revenue from operations increased by 12.98 per cent from ₹1,425.31 crore in FY24 to ₹1,610.34 crore in FY25. The company has turned profitable in the FY25 to Rs 27.84 crore. The offer for sale consists of shareholders selling up to ₹321.37 crore by Kuldeep Pratap Jain, up to ₹1970.83 crore by BGTF One Holdings, up to ₹225.61 crore by KEMPINC. Up to ₹991.94 crore by Augment India I Holdings, and up to ₹190.25 crore by DSDG Holdings APS. The Offer is being made through the book-building process , wherein not more than 50 per cent of the net offer is allocated to qualified institutional buyers, and not less than 15 per cent and 35 per cent of the net offer is assigned to non-institutional and retail individual bidders, respectively. Axis Capital, J P Morgan India, BNP Paribas, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India), IIFL Capital Services, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India), BOB Capital Markets, and SBI Capital Markets are the book-running lead managers and MUFG Intime India is the registrar of the offer. The equity shares are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Former Kae Capital partner Natasha Malpani launches Rs 200 crore fund to back AI startups
Former Kae Capital partner Natasha Malpani has launched Boundless Ventures , an early-stage fund with a Rs 200 crore corpus, to back AI-native startups from fund will write pre-seed and seed cheques for companies building across the AI space, including consumer applications, infrastructure, agent tooling, vertical use cases in healthcare and logistics, and make-in-India fund, raised from Malpani's personal network, including friends and family, has already backed six startups, including healthcare startup SuperHealth, robotics firm Armatrix, spacetech startup Piersight, quick fashion delivery startup Knot, and two stealth ventures in AI infrastructure and consumer AI."We're at an inflection point where AI is moving from experiments to infrastructure, and the next decade will be defined by the teams who can turn raw capability into enduring systems and categories," Malpani said, adding that India has the advantage of talent density and digital rails to build global AI who left Kae Capital earlier this year, added that Boundless Ventures is offering not just capital but also storytelling and network support to from investing, she has previously founded media company Boundless Media, and scaled Dice reported by ET on August 12, Indian generative AI startups raised $524 millio n in the first seven months of 2025, the highest fundraise in five years, as investors stepped up bets on artificial intelligence in the country.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
29 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Delhi's Nehru Place to get 500-room luxury hotel under ₹10,000 cr DDA deal
In a landmark move that signals a strategic overhaul in urban land use, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has awarded a Special Licence Property (SLP) project to Fleur Hotels Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Lemon Tree Hotels. The development will feature Aurika, a five-star luxury hotel located on a prime 2-acre plot in Nehru Place. The project is expected to generate approximately Rs 10,000 crore over a 55-year period. "The bidding process, conducted on August 13, saw Fleur Hotels secure the project with an annual license fee offer of Rs 27.19 crore, about 50 per cent higher than the reserve price," DDA said in a statement. Key Highlights: Licensing Model Breakthrough The SLP initiative replaces the conventional freehold and perpetual lease frameworks, allowing DDA to retain ownership while securing long-term revenue through an annual licensing structure Revenue Windfall Fleur Hotels emerged victorious in an auction held on August 13 with a winning bid of ₹27.19 crore per year—50% above the reserve rate of ₹18 crore. Over the 55-year license period, this is expected to generate approximately ₹10,000 crore for the DDA Grand Hospitality Development Named Aurika, Nehru Place, the upcoming hotel will span over 500 rooms and offer signature dining, expansive banqueting spaces, and premium leisure amenities. It is set to be one of the largest luxury hotels in Delhi Strategic Positioning Located in one of the capital's key commercial hubs, Nehru Place boasts excellent connectivity and strong demand drivers, making the site ideal for both business and leisure travelers. For Lemon Tree Hotels, this is a strong confidence vote in their Aurika luxury brand and overall expansion trajectory. DDA's move to retain land ownership while leveraging prime real estate via licensing indicates a robust revenue-generation model without compromising future flexibility. Lemon Tree Hotels caters to over 1.5 million guests annually across 110+ hotels in 75 cities, and the Nehru Place project will strengthen its presence in the Capital. 'Delhi has always been a strategic focus for us. Aurika's entry will deliver a luxury experience that's about living, not just staying – a landmark in style, comfort, and service for the region,' said Patanjali Keswani, chairman and managing director of Lemon Tree Hotels. Apart from Nehru Place, DDA has identified six prime land parcels across Delhi—lying unused or encroached for years—for fresh commercial development. The pipeline includes a Gold Souk in Dwarka Sector 22, office complexes in two Rohini sectors, luxury hotels in Nehru Place and Dwarka Sector 23, and a hospital in Dwarka Sector 9. While Nehru Place is the smallest plot at 0.9 hectares, the largest is a 9.3-hectare site in Rohini, planned for a major office hub.
