CHENNAI: Jayashree and her family from Chennai were all excited on Tuesday when their horseride operator in Pahalgam told them they were just five minutes away from ‘mini Switzerland’ -the Baisaran meadow. Then they suddenly heard the sound of gunfire.
“We saw people running and shouting at us to retreat. We were all terrified. Our operator turned the ponies around in a hurry to save us. We escaped from the jaws of death,” she said.

S Ram, a 70-year-old resident of Adyar, was holidaying in the same meadow just a day before the terror attack that killed 28 people. He, along with his family of 12, who included five elderly cousins, trekked the challenging trail to reach the meadow. On Wednesday, like many other travellers, they rushed to Srinagar airport and pleaded with airline staff to get on the next flight out of Kashmir. “It could have been us, either lying dead or weeping for our kin, had the incident transpired a day earlier,” he said. “We are still shellshocked. Although, we are safe now, there is heavy deployment of police and military personnel across Srinagar. Holidayers are rushing for outbound flights,” he added.

E Siddharthan, a resident of Madurai, said that 68 people, including his colleagues from the Tamil Nadu Motor Parts Dealers Association and the Tamil Nadu Automobile and Allied Industries Federation, Chennai, were about to enter the valley when the police told them to turn back. The police escorted them back to their accommodation.
The group was to board a flight on Wednesday evening and reach the state by Thursday. The group included 26 women from Madurai, Trichy, Tiruchengode, Vellore, and Tuticorin.

“The police later informed them there was a terror attack. Ever since they landed in Srinagar last Saturday, every place they visited was guarded by military personnel,” said Siddharthan, who is also joint secretary of the Association.
Many tourists noted that areas such as Srinagar and Pulwama were under a thick security blanket even prior to the terror strike. But such vigilance was absent in smaller towns such as Pahalgam and Sonamarg, though they are part of major tourist attractions in Kashmir.
This sentiment is echoed by A Venkateswaran, a resident of Korattur, Chennai, who noticed a drop in security presence on his way from Srinagar to Baisaran valley, where he spent nearly an hour during a week-long trip to Kashmir with 18 of his family members earlier this month.
“In Srinagar, paramilitary personnel were posted every 200 metres. As we crossed Pulwama, I even saw armed forces stationed in the agricultural fields along the highways where farmers were at work. But in Baisaran, there was no visible security. That thought kept nagging at me,” he said.
“No one would ever expect something like this to happen in such a serene location, which probably made it a soft target,” said Venkateswaran.

Massacre triggers spree of cancellation by city tourists

V Bharath and his family had planned a vacation in Kashmir, with Pahalgam as a key stop. However, after Tuesday’s attack near Baisaran Valley, the Chennaiites cancelled their trip.
“We paid 2 lakh for the Kashmir package and were scheduled to leave on Thursday. But after the attack, we called our travel agent and cancelled the plan,” said Bharath.
He is not alone. Following the attack, travel agents in Chennai report a sharp rise in cancellations. According to industry sources, nearly 1,000 people from the city travel to Kashmir daily during May and June, via air and rail. The average tour package ranges from 2 lakh to 10 lakh or more, depending on accommodation and itinerary.
“Since Tuesday, we’ve been flooded with cancellation requests and anxious enquiries. Some families are still going ahead— they’ve reached Delhi and plan to continue to Kashmir,” said Sriharan Balan, Chairman of Tourism at the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and MD of Madura Travel Service Pvt Ltd.
Padmini Narayanan, Past President of the Travel Agents Association of India, said that at least 30 clients have cancelled their Kashmir bookings with her company on Wednesday alone. “Until the attack, hotels were fully booked. The cancellations are directly linked to the targeting of tourists,” she said. IRCTC officials confirmed about 90 bookings from Chennai were withdrawn on Tuesday, most involving elderly couples. “This is usually our peak season,” an official added.
Sajad Ahmed, Secretary General of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir, said 10,000–12,000 tourists continue to arrive in the region by air daily. “While Srinagar and other tourist hubs remain under security cover, the attack has impacted travel sentiment. But most areas remain safe and accessible,” he said.
Airlines and travel platforms have announced measures to support affected travellers. Air India, IndiGo, and EaseMyTrip are offering free rescheduling and full refunds for cancellations.