Kashmir attack fallout: Tourists skip Valley for Kullu, Darjeeling, Dehradun
Summary
According to industry experts, Kashmir had become a preferred tourist destinations over the past two years. But after the 22 April attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow, tourists are considering destinations in other hill states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
The deadly terror attack in Pahalgam last month, claiming the lives of 26 tourists, has had a direct consequence: travellers are now skipping Jammu and Kashmir in favour of other hill resorts to beat the summer heat.
According to industry experts, Kashmir had become a preferred tourist destinations over the past two years. But after the 22 April attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow, tourists are considering destinations in other hill states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
As per data shared by travel portals EaseMyTrip and Ixigo, Munnar and Vagamon in Kerala, Kullu-Manali, Shimla and Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and Dehradun in Uttrakhand have recorded a surge in air travel demand. As per Ixigo data, flight bookings to travel to Kullu in May have shot up by 188% year-on-year, 133% to Dehradun and by 64% to Shimla.
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Rikant Pittie, chief executive officer and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, told Mint that tourists are re-routing their plans, favouring familiar and safer hill destinations, where infrastructure and accessibility are well-established. “Travellers are increasingly prioritizing safety and stability and this shift in sentiment is prompting a broader redistribution of tourist traffic across India’s hill circuits. Other destinations gaining traction include Ooty (Tamil Nadu), parts of Uttarakhand and Darjeeling (West Bengal)," Pittie said.
In the north, Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a key beneficiary of this tourist traffic redistribution. EaseMyTrip data showed that Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala and Kullu have also seen a surge in queries for hotels.
Ajay Prakash, president of the Travel Agents Federation of India, told Mint that in the current season, tourists are avoiding Kashmir due to the fear factor, which would create pressure on other hill stations. He also expects airfares to increase.
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“Other hill stations need to gear up to handle the extra tourists and traffic. It is expected airfare to cities with hill stations will see an increase by 15-20% due to the surprise demand," said Prakash.
As per EaseMyTrip, average airfare for May has increased by 30%, 20-30% and 25%, respectively, for flights to Shimla and Manali, Dehradun and Kerala.
Prakash is also of the view that a successful Amarnath yatra—an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Hindu devotees to the Amarnath cave temple, a sacred shrine located in Pahalgam, will make tourists confident about travelling to Kashmir again. The pilgrimage starts in July and lasts 45 days.
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EaseMyTrip anticipates that southern hill stations such as Munnar and Vagamon, already popular, will experience an even stronger surge in visitors due to the downturn in Kashmir tourism following the terror attack.
