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As tourists stay away, homestay owners renew focus on orchards in Himachal
Himachal Pradesh has as many as 1,340 homestays with bedding capacity of 7,702.
With no tourists flocking to picturesque Kotgarh after the Covid-19 lockdown, orchardists diversifying to homestays earlier are now banking on fruit crops for sustaining their livelihood.
People had found an alternative revenue earner in homestays, apart from horticulture, after tourists sought peace and quiet in the town, many choosing boarding and lodging options in and around orchards.
However, now with tourists staying away, people here are renewing focus on apple farming.
“My family has owned apple orchards for more than 50 years and I have been looking after my orchards for the last eight years. Like others here, I was planning to start a homestay this year but have put plans on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It might take more than a year for things to normalise so I am now concentrating on my orchards, though the apple produce too is likely to suffer,” says Raman Thakur, an orchardist from Kumarsain.
All bookings have been cancelled for the year, says Sumit Singha, a local homestay owner. “Business has suffered, but we believe in health and safety first. It might take 12 to 18 months to get business started as most of our tourists come in from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal and other states,” he adds.
Pranav Vij, a Chandigarh resident who visited Kotgarh in 2019, said he preferred orchard tourism as it was a new experience for him and a perfect option for him and his friends as it was less crowded and peaceful.
Himachal Pradesh has as many as 1,340 homestays with bedding capacity of 7,702.
Apart from Shimla, spots such as Narkanda, Kotgarh, Tanijubbar, amongst others, attract a number of people from around the country.
Stakeholders in the tourism industry hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic have demanded a special financial package from the state government.
