Srinagar- As Kashmir gears up for the peak tourist season, the issue of hike in air ticket prices during the peak tourist season has raised concerns among tourism stakeholders and locals alike.
According to tourism players, as the summer season approaches, air fares between Srinagar and other major Indian cities witness a significant spike, casting a shadow on the travel plans and financial considerations of tourists.
Speaking to Kashmir Observer, Abbas Kashmiri, a ticket broker, highlighted the annual spike in ticket prices every summer season.
“Last month, a one-way ticket from Srinagar to Delhi cost around Rs 3,500-4,000. These prices have now shot up to Rs 7,000, with prices often reaching a staggering Rs 13,000-14,000 during the peak tourist season,” Abbas said.
The situation is no better for flights to other major cities. In Mumbai, for example, ticket prices have jumped from Rs 7,000 just a month ago to a hefty Rs 11,000.
Manzoor Ahmad Paktoon, chairman of the Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association, said tourism players in the Kashmir Valley had repeatedly raised the issue of airfare escalation during the peak tourist season with the authorities, but no action was taken.
“Tourists mostly from South India are complaining about the increase in air fares. Traveling outside India turns out to be cheaper for them than visiting Kashmir. So the government should increase the number of flights so that ticket prices are kept under control,” Pakhtun said.
Pakhtun added that the issue of unilateral increase in air ticket prices is hurting both locals and tourists. “It is not only tourists who are worried about the increase in the price of plane tickets. Students studying the Kashmir Valley and those leaving the Kashmir Valley for emergencies are also suffering from the rising air fares.”
Rauf Trumboo, president of the Travel Agencies Association of Kashmir (TAAK) expressed similar views, saying that the issue of rising air fares is a burning issue affecting Kashmir’s tourism industry and expensive family packages may discourage tourists from travelling. to Kashmir.
“Unlike foreign tourists who mostly travel as couples, Indian tourists travel with their entire families and most of them cannot afford expensive packages to Kashmir, which may stop them from visiting Kashmir,” Trumbu said.
“We have been raising the issue since last many years and so far all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. I hope the authorities will look into the matter,” he added.
He further said that compared to Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore, Kashmir has become an expensive choice for Indian tourists. It is time for the government to step in and regulate the prices of air tickets like major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai. “Implementing a mechanism to cap prices during peak demand is essential for the sustainability of tourism in Kashmir.”
Specifically, in March 2023, a parliamentary panel urged the civil aviation ministry to establish price caps on airline tickets, preventing airlines from using predatory pricing strategies under the guise of a free market economy.
The panel emphasized the need to strike a balance between the commercial interests of private airlines and the welfare of passengers. They stressed the importance of allowing private airlines to grow while ensuring that passengers are not exploited in the name of commercialization.
However, the government has made it clear that it is not in favor of interfering with the free market economy by putting caps on air fares.
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