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Low visitor count in festive season leaves HP tourism industry in a fix
Hotel occupancy, which climbed to nearly 90% in June, plummeted to less than 20% during the festive season, dealing a big blow to the tourism industry
At a time when Himachal Pradesh’s tourism industry was gradually reviving from the flood fury that caused heavy losses across the state, low tourist arrival during the festive season has left the business owners and other stakeholders dejected.
Hotel occupancy, which climbed to nearly 90% in June, plummeted to less than 20% during the festive season, dealing a big blow to the tourism industry. This year, a total of ₹28.03 lakh tourists visited Himachal in June compared to 20.62 lakh last year. The numbers had remained low during the pandemic-hit years, with only 116 tourists visiting the state in June 2020, going up to 6 lakh in 2021.
Visitors are choosing offbeat destinations and turning to Kashmir and Uttrakhandh. The ₹25,000 crore tourism ecomomy constitutes 7% of the state’s GDP and contributes around 14.42% of direct and indirect employment.
Hotel Occupancy declined in festive season
Hotels in Shimla witnessed low occupancy in October, considered one of the peak tourism months when tourists arrive from Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal during the Durga Puja festivities.
“After navratris, there is no advance booking for Diwali. Tourist arrival from Maharashtra Gujarat and Bengal has declined and visitors from Gujarat are not coming due to many reasons. One reason is high fees being charged from tourist vehicles under the special road tax,” Mohinder Seth, president, Shimla hoteliers and tourism stake holders association, said.
“Government should redraw its strategy for tourist promotion. The tourism department is mostly branding its own hotels and selected sites through advertisement rather they should tell the tourists what is Himachal all about,” he said.
The year 2023 has been a whirlwind year for tourism entrepreneurs in Himachal Pradesh. The year began with record-breaking number of tourists flocking to the picturesque state before the onset of June.
However, just as the state was celebrating the early influx of tourists, the monsoon season arrived with unprecedented fury. Torrential rains lashed the region, causing landslides, flooding, and widespread destruction. The havoc wreaked by the monsoon was nothing short of a nightmare for the local tourism business. Many popular tourist destinations became inaccessible, and travelers were forced to cancel their plans, leaving hotels, travel agencies, and local businesses in dire straits.
As the monsoon season eventually waned, hopes began to rise within the tourism industry. Locals worked tirelessly to restore damaged infrastructure and regain their lost charm. However, just when the industry was beginning to see a glimmer of hope, a decision by the state government to impose special road tax levying high duty on the tourist vehicles once again sent shockwaves through the tourism sector.
Kullu Dussehra witnessed less arrival of tourists
Despite the government efforts to promote the international Kullu Dussehra festivities much in advance, the impact of flood fury cast its shadows on the festival.
“Kullu Dussehra is festival of locals, but tourists across India gather to witness the festivities. This time, the tourist arrival was not up to the expected level,” said Rohit Sharma, a local hotelier in Kullu.
Cricket matches in Dharamshala brings some respite for hoteliers
Hoteliers in Dharamshala say the Cricket World Cup matches here definitely provide a boost to the reeling tourism in the region but not as expected.
As per the data collected by the state police, which has the responsibility of law and order during the matches, more than 1 lakh spectators were in attendance during five matches held here.
While the stadium was packed for India-New Zealand and Australia-New Zealand fixtures, there were not much audience during the other three matches.
