‘Is it safe to travel to India?' Tour agents field jittery calls from abroad
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Kolkata: The terror attack in Kashmir on Tuesday will impact tourism not just in the Valley, but the gunshots will reverberate far and wide, scaring off inbound tourists scheduled to visit Kolkata, Darjeeling, and other popular destinations in Rajasthan and Kerala. A travel agent who brings international tourists to Kolkata during Durga Puja has received calls from jittery visitors booked to travel for the festival this Sept.
"Some tourists who took vaccines in Jan for the trip to India in Sept called to express their anxiety. I assured them that India is a vast country and that Kolkata is far removed from Kashmir. But there is no denying that they are jittery," said Jaideep Mukherjee, who has been bringing overseas tourists to Kolkata during Durga Puja for over a decade.
Debjit Dutta, chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, who just returned from hard-selling various Indian destinations in Malaysia, has also been on call since Tuesday to explain to international tour operators that the other Indian tourist spots are far away from Kashmir.
"When a terror attack targets tourists in any part of a country, tourism in the entire country gets impacted, as it is difficult to explain to an overseas tourist that Kashmir is very far from Kolkata, Udaipur, or Kochi. They want to avoid India. They may even prefer travelling to Kathmandu, which is closer to Kashmir than Kolkata," Dutta said.
Industry players are worried that the psychological impact of this terror news on foreign travellers will last a long time. "I fear advance bookings to various Indian destinations until early next year could get cancelled," said Dutta.
With the ministry of home affairs putting Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Amritsar, and other major Indian cities on high alert following the Pahalgam terror attack, international travel agencies dealing with tourists bound for India have begun putting plans on hold. The United States has already put Kashmir in the red zone. Other countries may also issue travel advisories. Anil Punjabi, a national committee member of the Travel Agents' Federation of India, said, "Given that the attack was on tourists and not security forces, as it happened in the past, there will be a lot of apprehension among foreigners."
Manav Soni, a national committee member of the Travel Agents' Association of India, is, however, optimistic. He pointed out travellers to India are mature and know how vast the country is. "Inbound traffic to Kashmir will be impacted for a year. But I believe, and hope, foreigners continue to visit other parts of India. Otherwise, it will be extremely unfortunate," he said.
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