Thousands of tourists who had planned their Durga Puja vacation in the Kashmir Valley next month are now rushing to cancel their trips due to the devastating floods in the state.

Tour operators said because of discounts being provided by various airlines, the number of bookings for travel to Kashmir from West Bengal was as high as 60,000 during the Puja season.

"But around 70-75 per cent of travellers to J&K have cancelled their trips. The rest are thinking twice now. Even we don't encourage people to travel during or immediately after a natural calamity," Anil Punjabi, chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India, said.

He says people are worried about what situation the tourists spots will be in the post-calamity scenario and whether the infrastructure will be good enough for travelling and a pleasant stay with their friends and family.

The J&K tourism department has already issued a flood advisory for tourists advising them to postpone their travel plans to the state in view of the prevailing flood situation.