Amid Indo-Pak tensions Bengalureans drop Kashmir, Leh plans; head to tourist spots in state

Nagarabhavi-based Nesara Tours lost 50% of its bookings, scheduled towards north India, over the course of the last fortnight— more so after Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7.

Bengaluru: The tourism sector has taken a direct hit as a result of the Indo-Pak tensions, with a majority of travel enthusiasts from Bengaluru cancelling their trips to the northern part of the country, say travel agents.

Nagarabhavi-based Nesara Tours lost 50 per cent of its bookings, scheduled towards north India, over the course of the last fortnight— more so after Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7.

“Overall, we had about 600 bookings to various regions in north India. Post the Pahalgam attack, people started cancelling trips to Kashmir, and then the cancellations across the other regions followed. Many were also forced to cancel as civic flights were temporarily suspended at several airports,” says Mohan Hegde, manager. Leh Ladakh was the most-sought-after travel destination for May at the travel agency.

Between April and August, people in the city usually prefer visiting the mountains up north — with Kashmir, Leh Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand being top favourites.

‘Refund hasn’t been easy’

Royal Kashmir Tours and Travels on Old Airport Road has had to cancel about 45 group trips scheduled for May. “In this situation, getting a refund from all the hotels has not been an easy exercise. Most have asked for a month,” says Ali Daniel, proprietor.

At Travel of India in R T Nagar, while Kashmir was a fan favourite, enquiries for Punjab were on the rise. In May, the company had 13 trips booked to north India, of which five were to Punjab — all were cancelled over the last week. “We offer a travel package which covers Amritsar and Dharamshala in Punjab and a few locations in Himachal Pradesh. This was popular. But now we’ve stopped receiving any enquiries for north India,” said Feroze, the proprietor.

Many are cancelling trips due to family pressure. Riya Jain, a resident of Ejipura, has cancelled her honeymoon trip to Himachal Pradesh. “We were supposed to leave this week, and had planned months in advance and booked everything. About 60 per cent of the refund amount is still stuck.”

Manjula Desai, a Basavanagudi resident, had a birdwatching trip planned in Kashmir this week. “It was a four-day trip across Pahalgam and Bandipora. However, our local guide advised me to postpone,” says the 42-year-old. She hopes to take the trip later this year.

However, not everyone is hopeful, with many cancelling trips scheduled for the latter half of the year. Kanakapura-based Jey Kumar, who organises group treks, has had to cancel a 30-members group trek to the Kashmir Great Lakes in August as “a majority backed out”.

To avoid such cancellations, travel agencies are rerouting their customers to popular tourist destinations within Karnataka, including Madikeri and Chikkamagaluru.