UAE: Over 100 residents cancel travel plans to Kashmir after terror attack kills 26
For the last two months, Asha Abdulkader and her family of 15 have been looking forward to a relaxing trip to Kashmir, intending to visit several cities including Pahalgam. However, they were forced to cancel their trip after a deadly terror attack killed 26 people on Tuesday.
'Our group including my siblings and cousins was supposed to leave on April 28 for seven days,' Asha told Khaleej Times on Wednesday. 'Now we were left with no choice except to cancel the tour plan and face the loss incurred due to the cancellation of the flight and tour package policies.'
The family are among the hundreds of people who have canceled their trips to the country after an attack targeted tourists. Asha said she was dealing with heartbreak, disbelief and shock in the aftermath of the tragedy.
'I'm deeply disappointed and saddened,' she said. 'Kashmir is such a beautiful place that is on the wish list of almost every Indian. I am also shocked about how if this attack had happened next week at the time, my family could have been there. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.'
She added that she understood that safety was paramount, and the necessity of this decision.
At least 26 people died and 17 others were injured when terrorists opened fire in three locations at a popular tourist spot in the Pahalgam region of India's Jammu and Kashmir. Among the dead — all men — are 25 Indians and one Nepalese national. One Indian national was a Dubai resident.
Over 80 cancellations
Local travel agency Smart Travels has had to cancel the flights of more than 80 people in the last two days. 'We had begun a campaign for summer which gave UAE residents the chance to enjoy a staycation in different parts of India before proceeding to their hometown,' said Safeer Mohammed from the agency. 'One of the locations on our list was Kashmir and we had over 80 bookings. For the last two days, we have been on calls with various stakeholders canceling and rescheduling the huge block of tickets we had booked.'
Safeer added that the terror attack was shocking and had a huge impact on the tourism industry as a whole. 'The militants targeted tourists at a time when the industry was booming in Kashmir,' he said. 'Safety had improved and people were really beginning to explore the region. It is absolutely disheartening what has happened.'
Smart Travels, the driving force behind the upcoming Indian domestic airline Air Kerala, has been promoting pan India travel. Recently, Air Kerala opened its corporate office in Kochi, with plans to begin flight operations later this year.
Not willing to risk it
Fouzia Sameer and her family of 10 people had planned a trip to Kashmir in July. She is one of those who have canceled her trip.
'Our trip is three months from now and conditions might have settled by then but I am not willing to take the risk,' she said. 'This particular attack specifically targeted tourists and I think it will be a long time before any holiday makers have the guts to go back there. I feel so sorry for the families who lost their loved ones but also to the Kashmiris who depended on tourism for their livelihood. It is such a senseless tragedy.'
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