Himachal: At 26k, arrival of foreigners in Kangra last year highest since Covid
Kangra tourism deputy director Vinay Dhiman says sports tourism is emerging in Dharamshala. International cricket matches have contributed a lot, he adds.
Amid rise in the number of tourists visiting Himachal, the foreign tourist arrival in Kangra district has touched post-Covid peak with a significant increase in 2024. The district saw 26,195 foreign tourists in 2024, surpassing 16,222 who visited Kangra in 2023. Only 6,538 foreign tourist arrivals were recorded in 2022. A favourite among international tourists, Himachal, a picturesque hill state, saw a significant decline in tourist numbers during the Covid-19 outbreak and Kangra also hit a low of just 2,701 foreign tourist arrivals in 2021.

Foreigners in large numbers throng Dharamshala and Mcleodganj where the 14th Dalai Lama resides. Dharamshala is also emerging as a sports tourism destination with Indian Premier League and international cricket matches being played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium in the city – which is often dubbed as one of the world’s beautiful cricket venues. Kangra also boasts of Bir Billing, the “paragliding capital” of India. In November, paragliding world cup was held at Bir Billing.
The tourism department is expecting a huge number of foreigners from March onwards in Kangra because of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday this year (in July). Kangra tourism deputy director Vinay Dhiman said sports tourism is emerging in Dharamshala and international cricket matches have contributed a lot. “When the test match was played in March 2024 between India and England, a large number of cricket lovers from the UK visited Dharamshala. We also had a paragliding world cup at Bir Billing in November which also attracts a lot of foreigners,” he said.
“A large number of foreigners visit Dharamshala due to the teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama and we expect a large number of foreigners to arrive in Dharamshala March onwards this year because of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration. People from across the countries are expected to visit Mcleodganj. We are also hopeful of improvement in the road infrastructure which will also boost the tourism of this area,” he said.
Dharamshala hotel association president Ashwani Bamba said the arrival of foreigners was higher in 2024 mainly because of Dalai Lama which benefited the tourism sector. “With the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration this year, many religious functions and events will be held by the Tibetan government in exile and a large number of people from other countries are expected to come, especially from Asian countries where Buddhism is dominant,” he said.
