Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, several travel agencies in Delhi on Wednesday said that around 90 per cent of bookings for Jammu and Kashmir have been canceled by tourists due to security reasons.
Gaurav Rathi, owner of ‘Swan Travellers’ located at Shankar Market, Outer Circle, Connaught Place, said that around 25 people have asked to cancel their bookings made for the Union Territory. He said that most of the tourists had planned to visit Kashmir next month, but now they are demanding cancellation.
The attack took place at around 3 pm on Tuesday, when terrorists descended from the mountains of Bysaran Valley in Pahalgam and started opening fire on tourists. This area is known as “Mini Switzerland” for its lush green valleys and is a major tourist destination. Travel agencies in Delhi said nearly 90 per cent of bookings for Kashmir have been cancelled, while some tourists are now looking for alternative destinations.
“We had some family bookings. From bus and flight tickets to hotels — everything was already booked. But as soon as news of the terror attack broke, we immediately started getting cancellation calls,” said Dev, owner of ‘Kusha Travels’.
Popular tourist destinations like Gulmarg, Hajan Valley and Tulip Garden were the most booked. “We had more than 20 bookings to Kashmir for this month and next month, but almost all have been canceled indefinitely,” said Karthik Verma, travel agent at ‘Good Guide Tours and Travels’.
He further said, “People are demanding refunds. They say that they cannot take their loved ones to a place from where there is no guarantee of return.”
Karthik Verma also said that since some bookings, especially of flights and hotels, are non-refundable, this has created a big problem for travel agencies. He said that Kashmir is one of the most favorite destinations for families at this time of the year.
Another travel agency ‘Swastik Travels’ said that Kashmir is not only the first choice of Delhiites, but it is also in great demand among the tourists coming to Delhi, who plan to visit Kashmir in future.
The owner of ‘Swastik Travels’ said, “Not just people from Delhi, even tourists in the capital are canceling their trips to Kashmir, even though hotel rates are at their peak this summer. People are now canceling bookings regardless of the price.”
Another agency ‘AJ Tours and Travels’ said they have received instructions from the travel association of Srinagar to stop all bookings and transportation to Jammu and Kashmir. “We have been instructed not to accept any new bookings for Jammu and Kashmir until further notice,” the agency said.
The Pahalgam attack is the deadliest attack in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack. According to a senior official, the dead included two foreigners and two local residents, but he declined to share further details.
He also said, “Not just Kashmir, now people are also afraid of going to Jammu. We had bookings of seven families going to Katra for Vaishno Devi darshan and that too has been canceled after this horrific attack.”
(with agency input)
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