Prolong period of unrest can badly impact tourism.
Forty-eight-year-old tour and travel operator Fida Ahmad Khan is a worried man today. Few days before phones of Khan-owned Peace Holidays, were not stopping ringing as tourists were enquiring about the bookings to visit the valley.
Enter the unrest post the killing of Hizbul Mujhadeen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, Khan is staring at huge financial losses once again. "So far around five bookings have been cancelled for this month only. It means my initial loss is Rs50,000 so far", said Khan. Like Khan, thousands of people associated with tourism trade are staring at huge financial losses as tourists are reluctant to visit Kashmir given the extremely tense law and order situation.
"So far the affect is not that much. But if it (crisis) prolongs tourism sector will be worst hit. Tourists coming by road have been stopped at different places on the highway. But those yatries and tourists who come by air are arriving. We are adopting a wait and watch policy," said Adil Khan, vice-president of Kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHARA).
Official figures reveal that 2, 16,252 tourists arrived in Jammu and Kashmir from January 1 to March 18 this year against 82,376 in the corresponding period last year. The arrivals include 5,524 foreigners against 4,494 in corresponding period last year.
Unofficial figures reveal that so far over 3.5 lakh tourists had visited the valley alone. It excluded over 1.03 lakh Amarnath yatries who visited the valley in the first seven days of yatra. What has compounded the problem is that the tourists who had already arrived in the valley are desperate to cut short their trip and go back to their respective places given the precarious law and order situation.
Sensing the problem, the Jammu and Kashmir government has gone into an overrdrive to arrange additional flights to ferry tourists from Kashmir to their respective places.
"The Cabinet desired to request different Airlines to provide additional flights for taking out the stranded tourists," said Naeem Akthar, J&K education minister and chief spokesman of the Mehbooba Mufti led PDP-BJP government.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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