Tour operators in Gujarat are relieved that voting in Gujarat is held in the initial phase of the one-and-a-half month long polling schedule.
Had the voting in the state scheduled in May, tourist outflow would have been adversely affected they said. However, voting schedule in tourist destinations like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and even Sikkim will shrink travel plans, said local tourist operators. Bookings for Jammu and Kashmir, a major summer destination, has been hit because of tensions along the Pakistan border.
"Voting in Gujarat is scheduled on April 23. School and college vacation begin around April 20. So departures from Gujarat are not affected much. If voting was in May, then bookings would have severely hit," said Manish Sharma, founder and director of Axar Travels. However, long polling schedule, spread across seven phases is a matter of concern, said Anuj Pathak, secretary of Tour Operators and Travel Agents Association of Gujarat said that voting schedule in Summer tourist destination will affect itinerary of tourists. "We have to factor in the voting dates while planning tours for clients. There are chances that political rallies, roadshows and other political events can affect their travel. This could reduce the travel days of tourists," said Pathak.
Recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as border tensions with Pakistan, has also affected tourist outflow to the northern destinations, opined Ajay Modi, owner of Ajay Modi Travels. He is unhappy about the impact on tourist inflows in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pulwama and Balakot attacks have made tourists wary of going to Jammu and Kashmir, otherwise unparallel destination for Summer. Recently tourism officials from the state were in the city to woo tourists, but the very next day, there was a bomb blast in Banihal. While the situation is not as serious as being projected, tourists do not prefer to visit such places. Kashmir will be severely impacted," said Modi.
Incidentally, winter tourism in the state was also affected because of floods. Modi said that border tensions may also affect tourists outflows to Sikkim, which shares a border with China.
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