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The US has urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Pakistan, especially its restive provinces, due to terrorism and sectarian violence. In a travel advisory issued on Thursday, the US State Department urged its citizens not to travel to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism and kidnapping. "Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and sectarian violence. Some areas have increased risk," it said, putting the advisory to Level 3. Level 3 travel warning is issued when a long-term or serious situation puts travellers and visitors at risk, and non-essential travel to the destination should be avoided. The advisory also recommended Americans not to travel in the immediate vicinity of the Line of Control (LoC) due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict. Noting that terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Pakistan, it said a local history of terrorism and ongoing ...
Travellers' enthusiasm continued to grow after the Covid pandemic as there was about 140 per cent growth seen in non-urban night bookings on Airbnb during the second quarter of this calendar year. In India, the non-urban nights booked have increased by about 140 per cent when compared to the second quarter of 2022 (April-June) with the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019, while non-urban long-term stays booked in India more than doubled, according to Airbnb internal data. According to the data, the number of destinations outside major cities have seen considerable growth in searches. Haldwani in Uttarakhand recorded a growth of about 330 per cent during the period under review, while Jibhi in Himachal Pradesh witnessed more than 270 per cent growth followed by Bir in Himachal Pradesh (more than 240 per cent growth) and Varkala in Kerala (more than 240 per cent growth), it added. On Airbnb, non-urban nights booked for long-term stays (over 28 days) more than doubled during the secon