Tourist arrivals in picturesque Kashmir may drop significantly this season as the travel industry blamed television news channels for hyping the flood situation in the Valley, leading to mass cancellation of bookings.
Tourism players accused the TV channels of creating a ‘fear psychosis’ about the flood situation in the Valley, contrary to the ground situation. “I don’t understand why is media against Kashmir. The water has already gone but they still show Kashmir is in flood. Wish they understand how important the coming season is for Kashmir,” said Umar Malik, a travel agent.
Incessant rains on Saturday and Sunday resulted in sudden surge in water level of river Jhelum and other water bodies in Kashmir, giving rise to fear about a possible repeat of devastating floods that hit Kashmir last year. However, with the weather holding up for past two days, the water level has receded significantly in Jhelum and its tributaries.
“These channels are still showing visuals which indicate that entire Kashmir is flooded. They should show the actual situation,” said Masroor Hussain, a general manager at a hotel here. He added that the constant focus on flood situation in Kashmir has resulted in up to 50 per cent cancellation of bookings by intending visitors. “April to June is the peak tourism season in Kashmir. We were hoping to make good some of the losses suffered during last year’s flood but this negative publicity is hurting us badly,” stated Hussain.