After the terrorist attack at Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon, Punekars have started cancelling their trips to Jammu & Kashmir. As per the railway authorities, 358 passengers cancelled their tickets for Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday itself.
This was going to be one of the best seasons for Jammu and Kashmir post-COVID and post-abrogation of Article 370. Domestic travellers from Pune, Maharashtra, and other parts of the country had planned to go to the valley to escape the heat.
Ashish Vellapure of Ashvel Travel said he had a group of six tourists scheduled to travel to Jammu & Kashmir on April 27, which now stands cancelled. He further said that groups scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir in May are also likely to cancel. Vellapure said this was going to be one of the best seasons for domestic tourism in Jammu & Kashmir, but after the terror attack, people are in a hurry to cancel. He added that Gondola bookings were full until June; however, people are now backing out of their trips.
Ritesh Pisal, a resident of Pune, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “We had booked tickets to Jammu & Kashmir for a week-long vacation. Our flight was scheduled for April 22, but as we got the information about the attack, we decided to cancel the tickets. We had planned to travel for more than a week.”
Prashant Chhatri, a resident of Kalyani Nagar, said, “We were planning to go to Jammu & Kashmir in May. However, my whole family is in mental distress and has refused to go there. We don't think our family will be ready to go to Jammu & Kashmir even in the future. This incident is unforgettable.”
Ajinkya Bhalerao, another Punekar, highlighted, “It had been a long time since everything was going smoothly. Accordingly, we had planned for Kashmir with our friends and had already deposited the money with the tour and travel company. But our parents are not permitting us to go.”
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