Mass Cancellations of Kashmir Tour Bookings as Terror Strikes Tourism

Nearly 150 travel agencies in city stare at losses, operators hopeful of retaining June, July bookings Anupam Srivastava and Aakash Ghosh

- HT Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Operators in Lucknow reported mass cancellations of Kashmir tour bookings following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead, most of them tourists. Calls from panicked clients flooded travel agencies across the state, with a significant impact being felt in Lucknow, where over 1,000 tour bookings were cancelled in a day.

Around 150 travel agencies in Lucknow were now facing mounting financial losses as several people from Lucknow and other parts of UP, whose bags were packed for a dream vacation to Kashmir, had either called off or indefinitely postponed their travel plans, said operators.

Hina Z Shiraz, chairperson of Travel Agents' Association of India (TAAI), UP and Uttarakhand Chapter, confirmed that the cancellations dealt a massive blow to the industry, especially during what was shaping up to be a strong summer season.

"Our business had started recovering post-Covid, especially after a promising 2023. The tourist footfall in Kashmir was finally rising. This attack has shaken tourist confidence," she said. Though May bookings were cancelled en masse, tour operators were still hopeful that the situation would stabilize in time to retain bookings for June and July, she added.

Kirti Srivastava, MD of Namaskar Travel Service, echoed similar concerns. "There are ripple effects of this attack. Today, I had to cancel bookings worth over 6 lakh."