Kolkata: The tourism industry in the state is apprehending a long term impact, particularly in terms of foreign tourist influx in India, in the backdrop of the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu Kashmir in which 26 persons, predominantly tourists, were killed.
“The terrorist attack on Tuesday is a black day in the history of India’s tourism. I cannot recollect any such attack targeting specifically tourists in the country. Foreign tourists take into consideration the geo-political aspect before travelling to a particular place. Hence, we are apprehensive that those who have been planning India tour from October till February- March will instead visit neighbouring countries, such as Nepal and Bhutan. This will affect foreign investment in the country,” said Debjit Dutta, chairman of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Bengal chapter.
Dutta recalled that post Kargil war, the tourism industry experienced a lean flow of foreign tourists in India, bearing testimony to the fact that for foreign tourists, geographical location matters much less than the geo political aspect.
“Post Covid, since 2024, the Indian tourism industry has picked up pace but this attack will not only affect Jammu and Kashmir where tourism is a major livelihood but the entire country’s tourism,” Dutta added. Anil Punjabi, chairman (eastern region) of Travel Agents Federation of India called for stringent action on the part of the Centre to secure the travellers.
“Almost all flight tickets to Kashmir have been cancelled and people are calling up expressing apprehension of whether it will be safe to travel to places such as Mumbai or Delhi. They are saying that if such a shocking thing can happen in a place that is supposed to have strong security, it can occur anywhere. There is no doubt that tourism for the entire country will be adversely affected,” he added.
According to Punjabi, 25 to 30 per cent of the domestic tourists that travel to Kashmir around the year are from Bengal.