By Admin 
Pahalgam Attack: After the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of tourists are now dreamed of visiting Kashmir in summer. Since the attack, the concern about security about the valley has increased once again.
According to tour operators, the cancellation request of Kashmir Trip has increased by about 25 percent in just 24 hours. The fear among the people is such that they are now turning to places to be considered safe like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
What did the tour operators say?
Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, while talking to NDTV, said that bookings for Kashmir are getting faster. At the same time, PP Khanna, head of the organization of domestic tour operators, said that about 30-40 percent of the tourists going to Srinagar and Gulmarg are now demanding to change their destination. However, it is a matter of relief that at this time airlines and hotels are giving full refunds, due to which people are not having much difficulty in avoiding travel or changing the destination.
Tourism was on peak in Kashmir
In the last few years, Kashmir Tourism had made a tremendous comeback by exiting Article 370 and exiting Kovid. In 2024, 2.35 crore tourists came to Jammu and Kashmir, which was more than last year. Hotels, houseboats and guest houses were fully booked and during April-May, the flight bookings of Srinagar were seen to have an increase of up to 50-100 per cent. But now it seems to be watering on the entire tourism sector.
Foreign tourists will also shy away
Currently, foreign tourists are less in summer, but experts believe that this attack will definitely affect the winter season (October to March). Foreign tourists are usually more cautious and such incidents can prevent them from traveling.
No cancellation charge be charged
The government has taken steps immediately in view of the situation. The Aviation Ministry has asked the airlines to run additional flights from Srinagar and no tourist should be charged with cancellation charge. Four special flights are being run for Delhi and Mumbai and more flights will be on standby if needed. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu gave strict instructions by meeting with the airlines that the price of tickets should not be increased and there should be no additional burden on the passengers.
However, the ground reality is slightly different. According to some travel websites, there was no flight available from Srinagar to Delhi on the website of Air India and IndiGo. At the same time, the price of flight on sites like Makemytrip was going above 14,000, which was also double from the flight of Delhi from Dubai on the same day.
Also read: Bad news for the Indian economy from the World Bank also after the IMF! Decreased growth estimate