Manali: As Kovid-19 cases are increasing across the country, so is the number of tourists Himachal There has been a considerable drop in the last few days even as the state government is not imposing any restrictions on tourism. The first week of January saw a record number of tourist influx and most hotels were completely closed. Hoteliers enjoyed brisk business till January 10 after which the number of tourists entering the state started declining sharply. Hoteliers say that it was because of the rise in Covid-19 cases that people started avoiding traveling with family. Tourist inflow to the state has declined by more than 60 percent in the last 10 days.
Hotelier Prakash Sharma Said, “Hotelers in Himachal did very good business in the first week of December and January. I would say Himachal received a record number of tourists in the first week of January this year. Earlier the Covid-19 cases were under control and Himachal A negligible number of cases in the state. With the increase in cases, tourists started avoiding travel. Now many hotels are vacant. However, some tourists are still visiting the state.”
Earlier this month, about one lakh tourists were visiting Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, Dalhousie and other Himachal tourist places every day. This number has now come down to a few thousand. The total hotel occupancy in the state is less than 20 per cent. No restrictions on tourism, frequent snowfall and availability of sufficient snow at many places are still attracting tourists to the state, but experts say that till the time there is a decline in the Covid-19 cases, the tourists There will be no jump in the flow.
Manali, where more than 100 tourist buses were arriving from Delhi every day earlier this month, has less than 25. These buses are also mostly half full. Taxi operators are also not getting bookings again and again.
There is a night curfew in Himachal between 10 pm and 5 am, but there is no restriction on tourist vehicles traveling on long routes during night time. Although markets close in the evening, restaurants and eateries are allowed to remain open till 10 pm. In this way, the small restrictions imposed by the government are not having any effect on tourism so far.
President of Himachal Pradesh Travel Agents Association Budhi Parkash The tourist season in Himachal is short from January to mid-April. “But this year thousands of tourists, mostly from neighboring states, were heading to Himachal after staying at home for more than a year. Travel restrictions forced people to cancel foreign tours. Hence, Himachal is the most visited destination for lakhs of people. Was a good option.However, Himachal is welcoming tourists. omicron The effect of panic on the footfall is starting to show. We are hopeful that everything will be back to normal before the summer tourist season.”
Hotelier Prakash Sharma Said, “Hotelers in Himachal did very good business in the first week of December and January. I would say Himachal received a record number of tourists in the first week of January this year. Earlier the Covid-19 cases were under control and Himachal A negligible number of cases in the state. With the increase in cases, tourists started avoiding travel. Now many hotels are vacant. However, some tourists are still visiting the state.”
Earlier this month, about one lakh tourists were visiting Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, Dalhousie and other Himachal tourist places every day. This number has now come down to a few thousand. The total hotel occupancy in the state is less than 20 per cent. No restrictions on tourism, frequent snowfall and availability of sufficient snow at many places are still attracting tourists to the state, but experts say that till the time there is a decline in the Covid-19 cases, the tourists There will be no jump in the flow.
Manali, where more than 100 tourist buses were arriving from Delhi every day earlier this month, has less than 25. These buses are also mostly half full. Taxi operators are also not getting bookings again and again.
There is a night curfew in Himachal between 10 pm and 5 am, but there is no restriction on tourist vehicles traveling on long routes during night time. Although markets close in the evening, restaurants and eateries are allowed to remain open till 10 pm. In this way, the small restrictions imposed by the government are not having any effect on tourism so far.
President of Himachal Pradesh Travel Agents Association Budhi Parkash The tourist season in Himachal is short from January to mid-April. “But this year thousands of tourists, mostly from neighboring states, were heading to Himachal after staying at home for more than a year. Travel restrictions forced people to cancel foreign tours. Hence, Himachal is the most visited destination for lakhs of people. Was a good option.However, Himachal is welcoming tourists. omicron The effect of panic on the footfall is starting to show. We are hopeful that everything will be back to normal before the summer tourist season.”
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