Tourists throng Himachal Pradesh’s Manali after Covid curbs eased. See pics

Himachal Pradesh has received about 6-7 lakh tourists after the state relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in June, an official from the tourism department said on Monday. Tourist inflow has been increased as heatwave hits the northern part of the country, Amit Kashyap, Director, Tourism Department said.

Several photos have gone viral on social media where a sea of tourists was seen in Himachal Pradesh's Manali hill station. People from the plains are visiting tourist hotspots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Dalhousie, Manali, Lahaul, and other places in the hill state in large numbers to get rid of the scorching heat.

According to Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association president Sanjay Sood said the withdrawal of the condition of negative RTPCR report and e-Covid pass to enter Himachal Pradesh recently has given a boost to the tourism industry of the state.

The occupancy in the hotels has increased in the past few days but it has yet to reach its peak, said Mohinder Seth, president of Tourism Industry Stakeholder Association.

Seth said the occupancy in the hotels remains between 60 and 90% during weekends, while on other days it remains around 40-45%.

In Kullu district, Atal Tunnel Rohtang (ATR) has become a major attraction for visitors.

A record number of 6,400 vehicles had crossed the tunnel last Sunday.

“This was the highest single-day and highest till date arrivals,” said Manav Verma, Superintendent of Police Lahaul-Spiti, adding 2,001 vehicles crossed the tunnel on Friday.

In Chamba district, the tourist inflow to Dalhousie, Khajjiar and Chamba is picking up gradually. The hoteliers are upbeat as there was an acute slump in the tourism business for the last over one year due to the pandemic.

A tourist from Delhi told ANI news agency: "As there are reports that 3rd wave of COVID-19 will come, so we'd decided to use this no lockdown period".

On the other hand, Bipan Katoch, a travel agent, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh expressed his disappointment over the rising influx of tourists in the state.

Katoch said, "I don't think the second wave of COVID is over yet. The increased tourist inflow has raised the risk here. Govt has to put restrictions but at the same time, it has to give relaxation to the people as well".

Another local said, "Environmental and civic sense among tourists is absent. Amount of fine should be increased. Hoardings-CCTV cameras should be installed".