Airfare hike: Tourism players upset

In what could be termed as the setback to the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir, the airfare has gone up and even soared higher than the international flights. Such an issue has surfaced from time to time in Jammu and Kashmir, which adds to the miseries of the local tourism players as the rush of tourists decline whenever the airfare rises. The prohibitively high ticket prices are deterring tourists and burning a hole in the pockets of locals who need to travel from Srinagar to other parts of the country. The average airfare from Delhi to Srinagar has jumped from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 to a staggering Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000. Fares to other cities across India have also seen a sharp spike. As the tourists are expecting a huge footfall of tourists in the summer season ahead, the rise in airfare would certainly play a spoilsport in the target as the number of tourists planning to visit J&K could possibly go down. The rise in the airfare has left the tourism players upset as air tickets to Kashmir are now costlier than flights to Gulf countries. The government should take strict action against those responsible for this arbitrary pricing. A mechanism to cap airfares is crucial to prevent hardship for all. At this juncture, the concerned authorities should intervene into the matter and ensure that the arbitrary hike in the airfare is prevented for the wellbeing of the people, who are scheduled to travel to and from Jammu & Kashmir.