Himachal sees 20-30% fall in tourist numbers

Shimla: As the coronavirus continues its attack both domestically and globally, favourite resorts of Himachal Pradesh have been experiencing a tourism drop of 20 to 30 per cent, tourism industry representatives said on Thursday.

They say the cancellation of bookings can be severely impacted further if any positive case is reported in the state. They have asked the local authorities to step up coronavirus vigil to prevent its epidemic in the state.

Officials of the state-run Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) said the occupancy in most of their hotels in major tourist destinations is nearly 50 per cent on normal days and this goes up to 70 per cent during weekdays.

“Some of our bookings have been cancelled due to coronavirus fears with the current occupancy rate 50 per cent on normal days and 70 per cent on weekdays, which is less than the normal,” HPTDC General Manager Poonam Bhardwaj told IANS.

“Of course, our information centres are getting enquiries from the tourists about the coronavirus scare,” she added.

Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association President and Shimla-based hotelier Mohinder Seth said as per their estimates the arrival of tourists across the state has fallen by 30 per cent in February and March, losing millions of Rupees in the tourism revenue.

The maximum cancellation was of corporate tourists and destination weddings, another hotelier added.

After the peak tourists’ season of December and mid-January, it is the Chaitra Navratri festivity that every year attracts a stream of domestic holidaymakers from West Bengal and Maharashtra to the hill state in March and April.

The foreigners start descending by June-mid for adventure tourism with the opening of high mountain passes after winter snowfall.

Corporate executive Sonal Kapoor from Chandigarh said she had cancelled her this month’s bookings in Dharamsala and Palampur towns owing to coronavirus epidemic and now is planning her visit during the Dussehra holidays.

Hotelier and travel agent M.C. Thakur, who is based in Manali, some 250 km from the state capital, said adventure tourists, mainly foreigners, one of the major attractions start arriving in June.

“If the coronavirus epidemic continues for a few months globally, its impact will be felt here too,” he said.

“Most of the foreigners generally prefer to drive down the 475-km-long Manali-Leh highway. From Leh, they travel towards Srinagar. If they won’t come this time, it will severely impact the tourism industry of Manali,” he said.

Backpackers, especially from the US, Britain, Italy, France and Germany, come to Manali from June to December for adventure-related activities like trekking, rock-climbing and mountain biking.

Hoteliers, however, expressed concern over lack of precautionary measures being taken by the state to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.

“Most of the tourist destinations are connected by road and the state shares porous borders with Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Kashmir. The state authorities should set up flu screening centres at the state entry points to screen suspected coronavirus patients,” a Shimla-based hotelier told IANS, requesting anonymity.

He said the screening and quarantine centres need to be strengthened to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Expressing concern over its epidemic, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday appealed in the Assembly to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

In a suo moto statement, he said he expected every resident to cooperate to prevent its spread.

Himachal Pradesh’s economy is highly dependent on tourism, besides hydroelectric power generation and horticulture.

State’s tourist footfall last year increased to 172.12 lakh, which included 3.83 lakh foreigners, from 164.50 lakh in 2018.

The highest arrival in 14 years was at 196.02 lakh in 2017.

IANS