From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 12: The heinous terror strike at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir and the decisive military offensive launched by India against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor has forced many domestic tourists to cancel their trips to the northern states and opt for the Northeastern states which is free from any border clashes.
Travellers are redirecting their plans from northern states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Rajasthan towards the Northeastern region following escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan, tour operators said.
Additionally, the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for one week is expected to further impact domestic tourism in the country, according to travel industry executives.
Several airports were shut and reopened on Monday only but people are cancelling their bookings to these (northern states closer to the border) places, Rajiv Mehra, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators, and general secretary, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality said.
But the new trend is that all these people who are cancelling their bookings to these regions are trying to book trips to Darjeeling, Gangtok, Guwahati, Shillong, and other places in the Northeast, he added.
A section of domestic tourists is also exploring international destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Japan, Baku, and Bali. Few have postponed their summer vacations.
Unlike over-commercialised hill stations, the NE still feels raw and untouched. Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam, for example, have some of the nicest and most locals. But despite all this, the region struggles to attract budget travellers.
Transport and accommodations are issues —bad roads make many places difficult to reach, and lack of affordable options keeps backpackers away. On top of that, Northeast tourism barely gets promoted at a scale compared to Himachal Pradesh or Goa.
The number of rooms in hotels and guest houses are still very limited in the Northeast. The homestays have come up only recently but are not run professionally, tour operators added.