Vijay C Roy
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 4
The tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh is on cloud nine as the state is witnessing an unprecedented increase in tourist inflow this year as compared to last year. At popular hill stations such as Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala and Dalhousie, room tariffs have gone up between 25% and 100% in the past one month and the hotels are registering 90 to 100% occupancy.
According to tour operators/hoteliers, heat wave conditions in the plains and grounding of Jet Airways has affected outbound tourists, resulting in people thronging the hills in large numbers in the past one month.
“The grounding of Jet Airways has affected the outflow of tourists from the country. Left with little options and temperature rising to all-time high in many parts of the country, tourists are thronging the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, which is not only cost-effective but also approachable,” said Pankul Sharma, managing director, Sharma Travels, Jalandhar.
The overall size of the tourism industry in North is over Rs 3,000 crore and it is growing at 16-20% per annum, with Himachal having a lion’s share of the market. The major hill stations are Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, McLeod Ganj and Dalhousie.
“Himachal is an all-time favourite destination for the domestic tourists, especially from May to July. After analysing the queries received, we perceive that the traffic is much more this year as compared to last year. This will boost the hospitality industry of the state,” said Naveen Kumar, director of Chandigarh-based GK Enterprises.
The tour operators added that there have been instances when tourists have to return to Kasauli as they are not able to get accommodation in Shimla.
They said opening of the Rohtang Pass, which is at about 13,050 feet above the sea level, from June 1, has further given fillip to the flow of tourists in Manali. The pass was closed since December last year following heavy snowfall.
Tourists from across the country throng Manali to visit the Rohtang Pass — the top tourist destination of Himachal Pradesh. The pass is covered with snow throughout the year. To make it accessible for tourists, the Central government’s agency makes the way by clearing the snow.
“In Manali, there are around 28,000 rooms, including in branded hotels, lodges and guest houses. On an average, the occupancy rate is much higher this year as compared to last year, with many of the properties recording even 100% occupancy,” said Gajender Thakur, president, Manali Hoteliers Association.
The travel agents said to get accommodation in some of the prime properties, tourists have to wait for at least a week.
Top destinations
Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, McLeod Ganj, Dalhousie
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from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2Wc9ycd
via Today’s News Headlines
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