Chandigarh: Travel bookings crash, flight rates soar after Pahalgam terror attack
About seven flights operate between Srinagar and Chandigarh and vice-versa daily. The ticket from Srinagar to Chandigarh, which was earlier available at ₹4,990, has now soared to ₹9,605.
The ticket price is constantly fluctuating. On the other hand, the booking cost from Chandigarh to Srinagar remains constant at ₹6,262. The blocked Jammu-Srinagar national highway is adding to the misery of the people. Not only are people in a rush to leave the Valley, but the terror attack has cast a shadow on tourists' plans to visit the area. With hundreds of bookings to Srinagar getting cancelled, travel agents are staring at losses worth lakhs.
Umesh Kapoor, chairperson of Indian Association of Tour Operators Chandigarh chapter, said about 12-15 lakh people visit Kashmir in a month and from the tricity, the number would be between 5,000-10,000, adding that in his travel agency, 80% of bookings to Kashmir have been cancelled. People are terrified to go to Kashmir. Agencies are suffering losses in lakhs.
The attack in Kashmir has scared the people to the extent that they are even cancelling their trips to Himachal, considering it a hilly area similar to Kashmir.
Evergreen Travels owner Abhishek said, 'For the time being we have put our bookings on hold. We are following the advisory of Travel Agents Association of India, which has asked all of us to put bookings on hold for at least a week.'
Nargis Malik, a local agent from Valley Trip Planner, Srinagar, said, 'We have received many calls for cancellation of tours since morning. We are trying to swap the Kashmir tour with Manali. Some tourists are in panic and hurrying back to their native place before the completion of their tour.'
Bharat Tours and Travel, Mohali, mentioned it had not started the bookings and was going to begin for Amarnath Yatra in June. Another travel agency from Mohali, Sai Tour and Travels, confirmed that Kashmir bookings have been cancelled by clients.
Shweta, a Mohali resident, who recently visited Kashmir, said, 'I stayed at Aru valley in Pahalgam region. After coming back from Kashmir, I was recommending everyone to visit the place considering its scenic beauty and lively culture. However, it was shocking to learn about the terrorist attack. I would go for early morning walks in the valley alone, but now it looks unsafe for anyone to travel freely there.'
With inputs from Nikhil Sharma and Jasmeh
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