The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's decision to repeal its warning against travel to India has prompted several tour operators to slash their prices to entice tourists back to the sub-continent. Fortunately for tour operators the FCO warning came during the monsoon season when few tourists visit India anyway.

Sophie Shennan, a spokeswoman for Cox & Kings, said: 'Although it was the best time of year for the ban to happen it still stopped people booking for the more popular autumn season. As a result we are cutting prices on all our group tours to India this year by 15 per cent.'

Stuart Britton, the managing director of Somak Holidays, said: 'With an FCO warning like that, blanket travel insurance becomes impossible to get. All those who planned to travel with us decided against it on the FCO advice.' Somak is offering savings of over 20 per cent on selected holidays with a two week five-star break in Goa for £929, down from £1,209.

Tourism to India has suffered over the past few years from the Gujerat earthquakes in January 2001, post-11 September timidity and the threat of conflict with Pakistan this year.

'We do feel at the mercy of the FCO's whim,' said Britton. 'The blanket advice was a very crude stroke. India's a huge continent, and most of our clients go to Goa, thousands of miles from the Indo-Pakistan border.'

The FCO is still discouraging travel to Kashmir and areas of Gujerat, Rajasthan and Punjab close to the border.