E-Paper
Kangra sees rising footfall of foreign tourists
The district has already logged 19,631 foreign tourist arrivals till September and has surpassed the 16,222 who visited Kangra in 2023. This year’s figure has surpassed the 6,538 mark in 2022.
The tourism sector in Kangra has experienced a revival following a period of slowdown caused by Covid-19 with a particular increase in the arrival of foreign tourists this year.
The district has already logged 19,631 foreign tourist arrivals till September and has surpassed the 16,222 who visited Kangra in 2023. This year’s figure has surpassed the 6,538 mark 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.
After the Covid-19 woes, heavy rains in August last year triggered floods in the state, causing massive damage to road infrastructure and resulted in a dip in tourist influx. This year’s trend, however, is now hinting at a resurgence.
As per the data shared by the tourism department, as many as 3,157 foreign tourist arrivals were reported in September. The highest number of foreign tourist arrivals reported this year so far was in March with 5,822 tourists arriving in Kangra district. 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.
Kangra Tourism deputy director Vinay Dhiman, said that sports tourism is emerging in Dharamshala and international cricket matches have contributed a lot. “We saw that during the test match played between India and England here in March, thousands of tourists from the UK were reported, which has highlighted this area. The World Cup matches played here last year also helped tourism here,” he said.
“A large number of foreigners visit Dharamshala due to the teachings of the Dalai Lama in September. About three months still left and there are a few more events like the paragliding World Cup in Bir Billing, so many foreigners including pilots will come here for the event. Many people visit wellness or yoga centres. We expect that the foreign tourist arrival will reach around 25,000 by the end of this year,” he said.
With the upcoming Paragliding world in Bir Billing scheduled from November 2-9, the tourism stakeholders are anticipating a further boost in footfall of both international and national travellers.
In a first, the state is also set to launch the debut edition of the Himachal Paragliding Fest (HPF ’24). Both the events, to be held from November 2 to 9, are expected to attract both domestic and foreign adventure enthusiasts, providing an opportunity to exhibit the region’s potential in adventure tourism.
