Srinagar: The steep hike in airfares has turned Kashmir unaffordable destination for most of the domestic tourists. The stakeholders allege it is a ‘deliberate’ attempt to cut inflow of tourists to the Valley.
Currently, the airfare on Delhi-Srinagar sector runs in the range of Rs 13,000 to 22,000. Similar is the case with Srinagar-Delhi sector. The prohibitive airfares, according to experts here, are hitting not only the tourists but also the locals particularly the frequent flyers.
“It has now become a pattern with the airliners that at the inception of every tourism season in Kashmir they arbitrarily increase the fares on this sector making travel to and from Kashmir unaffordable,” Mushtaq Ahmad, assistant manager, Travel Master, a reputed travel agency in Srinagar, said.
The assistant manager Travel Master said: “Many of our customers in Kashmir have either postponed their trips to outside or from outside to Kashmir, or are coming by road because of the steep airfares.”
“However, the patients who cannot travel by road face huge problems because of the steep airfares. Those among them who cannot postpone their engagements with doctors, or their surgeries, find it extremely difficult to manage their air travel,” he said.
Interestingly, the airfares for other destinations both within and outside the country are much cheaper as compared to Kashmir.
24/05/14 Mudasir Yaqoob/Greater Kashmir
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Currently, the airfare on Delhi-Srinagar sector runs in the range of Rs 13,000 to 22,000. Similar is the case with Srinagar-Delhi sector. The prohibitive airfares, according to experts here, are hitting not only the tourists but also the locals particularly the frequent flyers.
“It has now become a pattern with the airliners that at the inception of every tourism season in Kashmir they arbitrarily increase the fares on this sector making travel to and from Kashmir unaffordable,” Mushtaq Ahmad, assistant manager, Travel Master, a reputed travel agency in Srinagar, said.
The assistant manager Travel Master said: “Many of our customers in Kashmir have either postponed their trips to outside or from outside to Kashmir, or are coming by road because of the steep airfares.”
“However, the patients who cannot travel by road face huge problems because of the steep airfares. Those among them who cannot postpone their engagements with doctors, or their surgeries, find it extremely difficult to manage their air travel,” he said.
Interestingly, the airfares for other destinations both within and outside the country are much cheaper as compared to Kashmir.
24/05/14 Mudasir Yaqoob/Greater Kashmir
