Rajiv Mehra,President, IATO
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KAMAL NARANG
Travel agents associations are seeking enhanced protection and swift action against terrorism in order to restore confidence among travellers visiting Jammu & Kashmir.
This appeal comes as tourists scramble to return home following the terrible terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday. There are deferrals and trip cancellations with travel agents handling calls for alternate dates and destinations.
“Such drastic attacks on innocent tourists will have very negative impact on both domestic tourism to a very large extent and international tourism in Jammu & Kashmir, although international tourist arrivals are less due to advisories issued by various countries. This will adversely affect the livelihood of people in Jammu & Kashmir as people in the state depends on tourism activities, directly or indirectly,” said Rajiv Mehra, President of Indian Association of Tour Operators.
“The tourism associations urge the government and security agencies to take strict and immediate action against those culprits and ensure enhanced protection for tourists across the region,” Mehra added.
Tours to Jammu & Kashmir were sold out all through summer with hotels fully booked till June. Many especially from Maharashtra and Gujarat have booked trips 3-4 months in advance.
Maharashtra Tour Operators Association has decided not to cancel any tours to Jammu & Kashmir and its members are asking customers to hold on with the bookings. “ The dust should settle down in a couple of days,” said Abhijeet Patil, chairman, Raja Rani Travels.
Serious terror attack
“Previously after a serious terror attack there would be a sense of fear among Kashmiri people. I don’t see that now,” he added. Tourists however are not willing to take any chances right now.
“There are cancellations which are happening and we are working with customers to offer them alternate destinations (in case of a holidays) and refund or rescheduling in case of flights,” said a head of online travel company.
“Our teams are working round the clock with airline and hotel partners to provide flexibility and assistance on bookings/cancellations. Our on-ground team is doing everything in their capacity to offer support to travellers,” said a MakeMyTrip spokesperson.
Published on April 23, 2025