A day after tourist’s death, travel operators fear cancellations
JAMMU:THE death of a 22-year-old tourist after being hit by stones has further dampened the spirits of travel operators who were already facing slump in demand due to turmoil in the Valley.
The taxi operators who pin their entire hope to earn on three summer months from April to June have witnessed low demand so far.
The tourist 22-year-old R Thirumani, was critically injured in a stone pelting incident at Narbal on Monday and died later in the day of head injuries, triggering outrage and concern.
Jammu Province Tourist Taxi Operators Federation chairman Inderjeet Sharma said, “We are already witnessing low demand this year due to situation in the Valley. Tourists are flocking to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh due to the volatile situation in Kashmir.”
“And Monday’s event in Srinagar will further create fear among tourists who were planning to visit J&K,” he said.
Sharma pointed out that present cycle will also affect the pilgrimage of Mata Vaishno Devi. He said “We have seen dip in Vaishno Devi pilgrims in past few days.”
A cab driver, Harpal Singh outside Jammu railway station complained of slump in tourist inflow and said, “We wait for these three months to cover the low demand in rest of the year. Many of my co-cab drivers have started getting cancellations.”
Another cab driver Balvinder Singh pointed out the volatile situation in the Valley might as well affect the Amarnath yatra beginning from June 28.
DEFENCE MINISTER CONDEMNS DEATH
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman condemned the killing of the tourist and said, though the Armed Forces cannot be held responsible for being firm with terrorists, it is extremely important to ensure safer movement of tourists to restore normalcy.
‘YOUTH’S DEATH COULD BE LAST NAIL IN TOURISM COFFIN’
The killing of the Chennai youth could be the proverbial final nail in the coffin of tourism in Kashmir, Ashfaq Siddiq, president Travel Agents Association Kashmir (TAAK), said.
“This is a sad incident which should not have happened. Unfortunately, we feel that it will have an impact on tourist arrivals to Kashmir. I think it will be the final nail in the coffin,” Siddiq told PTI.
Tourism in the state has already suffered because of prolonged periods of unrest in the Valley, hoteliers said.
There has been a steep fall in the number of domestic tourists since 2016, when the killing of militant Burhan Muzaffar Wani by security forces in July that year led to a prolonged period of violence and stone pelting in the Valley.
The TAAK president said the association feared cancellation of bookings by tourists in the days to come.
Tourism Kashmir director Mehmood Shah, condemning the incident, said the department apprehended a fall in the number of visitors to the Valley.
The tourism trade in Kashmir condemned the killing, saying that those who had thrown stones at the vehicle in which the tourist was travelling were not well wishers of Kashmir but “cold-blooded murders, Shah said.
‘STONEPELTERS AIM TO HARM ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN KASHMIR’
BJP national vice-president and J&K in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna has termed the act “aimed at harming the economic activities in Kashmir”.
“This attack has come at a time when tourist season is about to begin and all the stakeholders linked with the tourist industry were awaiting for this time of the year, expecting tourist footfall,” Khanna said, and added that large number of people from different parts of the country and abroad come to Kashmir valley every year.
“Such incidents only come as a shock for everyone including tourists, who plan their visits in advance by booking hotels, lodges, huts and houseboats etc.,” he said.
Khanna said from big hotel owners to houseboat owners, ‘shikarawalas’ to street vendors, buses to taxi operators, all are directly dependent on tourist influx.