 "shimla")
The tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh is hopeful of high footfall during Christmas and New Year despite a fresh Covid scare.
With both Christmas and New Year on weekends, hotel occupancy is expected to be over 90 per cent, people associated with the tourism industry said and added that tourist influx would also increase as many would come to enjoy snowfall.
There is a possibility of light snowfall in the state's upper areas and Lahaul and Spiti on Christmas and Shimla, Manali and the higher reaches on December 29 and 30, said Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Surender Paul.
Weekend occupancy in Shimla is near 70 to 80 per cent and, with Christmas and New Year both on weekends, the hotels will be packed to capacity, Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Vice-President Prince Kukreja told PTI.
Hotels are receiving online bookings in large numbers and the snowfall will be an added advantage, he said and added that the new Covid variant was, however, a cause for concern.
With a surge in cases in some countries, the Health department on Friday issued an advisory to observe Covid-appropriate behaviour.
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Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamshala chief Ashwani Bamba said, "Winter is here, the weather is good and people are free from elections. A good season is expected with advance bookings for New Year exceeding 50 per cent already."
Assembly polls in the hill state were held in November and the results declared earlier this month.
"The hoteliers have arranged for parties, decorations, special food, music, bonfires and various competitions for the tourists," Bamba added.
Manali Hoteliers' Association chief Mukesh Thakur said, "Snowfall is a major attraction. Gondolas at Solang, igloo stays in Hamta, winter sports in and around Manali, skiing and snowboarding courses at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali are the major draws."
According to the hotel associations, there are about 30,000 rooms in Manali and its suburbs and over 10,000 in Shimla and its outskirts. Additionally, there are over 4,000 rooms in hotels, resorts, guest houses, home stays and bed and breakfasts in Dharamshala and its periphery.
Thakur told PTI, "Over 90 per cent occupancy is expected during the New Year and the winter carnival starting on January 2 is another sought-after event."
The Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, dubbed the new gateway to Lahaul and Spiti, has also increased the tourist footfall in the twin districts of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti.
Speaking on the logistics of travel, a Shimla-based agent said the number of private deluxe buses accommodating tourist travel had almost doubled.
"We hope that the new Covid variant will not spread and things will go on as they are," he added.
According to data procured from the Tourism department, 1.39 crore tourists visited Himachal Pradesh till November 30 against 56.37 lakh last year.
"We are hopeful of touching the pre-Covid tourist inflow figures by the year-end as December is the peak tourist season," said Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Amit Kashyap.
"People have started travelling again and aggressive marketing by the Tourism department in states such as Gujarat from where the tourist inflow was less, besides social media videos highlighting the tourist places and unexplored destinations in all districts, helped increase the footfall.
"However, the number of foreign tourists visiting the state is yet to pick up," Kashyap, who is also the Tourism director, said.
The corporation is also organising events to mark Christmas and New Year in prime properties in Shimla, Manali, Chail and Dharamshala, among others, he added.
The tourism and allied industry suffered immense losses during the pandemic and tourist inflow in 2020 dropped 81 per cent against 2019. Tourist arrivals in the hill state was 1.72 crore in 2019 -- the figure crashed to 32.13 lakh in 2020 before recovering marginally to 56.37 lakh in 2021.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has asked the Tourism and allied departments to facilitate the visitors.
"The tourists are our guests and we should ensure the best possible hospitality to them," Sukhu said and directed officials to make adequate arrangements in all districts and ensure smooth flow of traffic.
He also urged the tourists to follow COVID-19 protocols and wear facemasks as a precautionary measure.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
