MUMBAI, May 12 -- Geopolitical alignments are influencing where some Indians will spend their summer holidays - Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are off the list for now, while 'neutral' destinations such as Thailand and Hong Kong are trending as alternatives. That's not all. The tensions on India's border with Pakistan have left domestic tourists stranded in many north-western states in India as airports have been temporarily shut. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and those who had booked flights back home are scrambling to improvise. One of them is Shivam Khandelwal, who was in Leh from May 5 for a photoshoot. Since Leh is one of the 21 airports that is temporarily closed, Khandelwal, travelling with his wife and a companion, said, "We had an Air India flight booked for Mumbai, for 9.45am on Saturday, but I received a text message today saying the flight was cancelled." With the help of a few locals, the Khandelwals and three other families in their hotel, similarly stranded, will embark on a tedious and expensive journey back. The group has arranged a 12-hour road trip to Manali by private taxi; then, onward from Manali to Delhi by bus, a nine-hour trip. From the national capital, they hope to catch a flight to Mumbai. "The cab will cost Rs.28,000, the bus Rs.3,000 and flight roughly Rs.16,000," he told HT. "We are keeping our fingers crossed, that we make it home soon." Meanwhile, travel agents are very worried. Abhijeet Patil, chairperson of Raja Rani Tours, said, "Many who had booked destinations in the north-west states have cancelled." Some tour operators are concerned about a long-term impact on their business. "When there's trouble of any kind, the tourism business is the first to get affected," said Vishvajeet Patil, president, Maharashtra Tour Organisers Association. The airport shutdown comes at a time when Kashmir and other destinations in the north are hot favourites from April 20 to May 31, due to the pleasant weather there. "We had at least eight to ten tours a day going to Himachal, Dehradun and the Kashmir Valley in the last two years. A hundred of those tours are now cancelled," said Shailesh Patil of Kesari Travels. Travel companies are struggling to compensate clients. "We have cancelled all tours to Kashmir. It's the same for Himachal, Dehradun, Amritsar and Chandigarh. But there weren't many tours booked to places like Jaipur in Rajasthan as summer is not peak season there," said Patil. Some international destinations too have been struck off travel itineraries. Many travel portals have suspended tours to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey, which have extended their support to Pakistan; even large tour companies like Cox and Kings have suspended all travel offerings to these three countries, aligning with the broader sentiments of their customers and the nation. Abhijeet Patil of Raja Rani Tours said, "We have had at least 30% cancellation in travel to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Some Indians are instead travelling to visa-neutral countries such as Thailand and Hong Kong, or have cancelled plans to these three countries owning to geopolitical dynamics." There's another concern - tour operators are worried about the upcoming Amarnath Yatra scheduled for the first week of July in Kashmir. "This is a major religious yatra, which doesn't just see tourists but spiritual devotees," said Vishvajeet Patil. "We are now worried about what will happen this year," he added....