India News | Terror Attack in Pahalgam in J&K Affects Business of Travel Agents in HP

Shimla, Apr 28 (PTI) The terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam town of Jammu and Kashmir has affected the business of travel agents in Himachal Pradesh, as 80-90 per cent of bookings for the Union Territory have been cancelled in the past few days.

"The attack in Pahalgam has impacted the business in Himachal too, and 80-90 per cent of bookings for Kashmir stand cancelled," said Rishab Thakur, who works in Antelope Tours and Travels in Shimla.

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"Kashmir saw a boom in tourism in the past two years, but after the terror attack, the business for Kashmir has come to a standstill. Till recently, we were giving four to five packages (to tourists) for Kashmir daily, but now, most packages booked for Kashmir and Amarnath yatra have been cancelled", he told PTI Videos on Monday.

"We are trying to convince them to postpone and reschedule their trip, but the tourists are scared and saying that there are security issues and they cannot risk the lives of their family members," Thakur added.

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The Pahalgam attack has also cast a shadow on Amarnath Yatra.

Groups for the yatra from Gujarat and Maharashtra have been cancelled following the terror attack, said Akhil Chauhan, who runs a travel agency in Shimla.

Terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir last Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others, following which security has been beefed up across the valley, especially at vital tourist spots.

However, the tourist inflow in Himachal has picked up, according to people associated with the tourism business.

"We are hoping for a good season. At present, the room occupancy during weekends is near 80-85 per cent, which is expected to go up further in the coming days when heatwaves are witnessed in plains," M K Seth, president, Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association, told PTI on Monday.

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