Reviving tourism: Travel agents from across India to converge in Kashmir this weekend
NEW DELHI: Travel agents from across the country will converge in Kashmir this weekend in a bid to revive tourism there following this once-thriving industry's near-total collapse after the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), which is one of the country's biggest umbrella organisations for agents with over 1,600 members, is holding its meeting in Srinagar and Pahalgam from June 13-16 to instill confidence among the fraternity.
'Our members from all over the country will go to Kashmir and assess the situation for themselves. Once and if they feel confident about the place and about the safety & security of tourists, they will again start presenting Kashmir as a destination,' said TAFI VP Anil Kalsi, adding, 'We will be staying across hotels, including houseboats, and have meetings with govt representatives.
Airlines will also be a part of this meeting we are having in Kashmir.
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Srinagar hotels and flights commanded a big premium before the Pahalgam attack as Kashmir was seeing unprecedented tourist footfalls post Covid. But after the April 22 attack, tourists already there left Kashmir in droves and those who had plans to visit cancelled the same. 'What happened in Pahalgam was tragic and shocking beyond words. Authorities there need to regain confidence and trust of tourists for the latter to return there,' said a Delhi-based travel agent.
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If the agents' meet finds the situation safe enough for that to happen, what incentives will the local hotels and airlines offer for tourists to return? 'The near complete collapse of demand has left airfares and hotel tariffs at near bottom levels, so prices are very low. Gulmarg's Khyber, for instance, used to have daily tariffs of about Rs 75,000 which are now down to Rs 21-22,000 and the hotel is offering packages,' said Kalsi.
J & K is currently focussed on ensuring a safe Amarnath Yatra as they hope that will send out a message that tourists can return to Kashmir. The
yatra
duration has been curtailed to 38 days, instead of 52 days in 2024, and will be on between July 3 and Aug 9, 2025. A total of 581 companies from various Central Armed Police Forces, along with personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, will be deployed along the pilgrimage routes to ensure safety of the lakhs of pilgrims.
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