Pahalgam Attack Triggers Mass Cancellations Of Travel Bookings

Following the deadly terror attack on tourists at Pahalgam in Kashmir, many other tourists who had planned visiting the valley next month have cancelled their schedules. Travel agencies said that nearly 90 per cent bookings for Jammu and Kashmir have been cancelled, due to safety concerns.

The attack sent shockwaves across the country, with many travellers cancelling hotel bookings and shelving their holiday plans. Flight tickets to Srinagar, from where tourists travel to Kashmir, have also been cancelled, following which the planes are travelling with much less than half their capacity.

The terrorist attack raised concerns about security in the region which is having an adverse impact on tourism and local business. Some tourists, reportedly, are trying to shift their holiday plans to alternative destinations.

In the aftermath of the terror attack, there are reports that many other tourists already in Kashmir are calling off their trips, fearing more violence. Though hotel tariffs are more during summer, tourists are cancelling their itinerary, without taking the cost factor into consideration.

Reportedly, the Union Tourism Ministry, on Wednesday, had asked travel and tour operators, online travel aggregators, hoteliers, and other stakeholders to provide all possible assistance to tourists, including waiving off cancellation fees. The Indian Association for Tour Operators (IATO) said that till Wednesday afternoon 35% bookings of scheduled trips to J&K had been cancelled.

The attack in Pahalgam in which over 28 tourists were killed is the deadliest in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike.