Srinagar, March 15 -- Tourism stakeholders have sent SOS to the government after airline companies hiked fares for the second time in three months.

Tourism players fear the steep hike could hamper the flow of tourists in spring.

Presently, Kashmir is witnessing a massive rush of tourists, particularly from Maharashtra and Gujarat. All hotels and houseboats are booked till April.

For the last one week, the airfare has increased by 75 percent.

A cursory look at the airfare chart by portals including MakeMy Trip and EaseMyTrip shows that the fare from New Delhi to Kashmir has gone up to Rs 14,000.

Barely one or two weeks before, the airfare from the same destination to the valley was just Rs 5000-5500. The return ticket from Kashmir to ...