HP losing out to Kashmir,high paying tourists give Shimla,Manali a miss

Yet,the fact remains that the aerial connectivity to Srinagar and Leh in J&K is acting as a major attraction for tourists. On the other hand,the single flight that operates between Delhi and Bhuntar in Kullu or Shimla and Dharamsala,is not only irregular but also costly when compared to visiting Kashmir.

Arun Sharma,Director (Tourism and Civil Aviation) said: “Kashmir tourism is certainly giving Himachal Pradesh a competition. This is why our efforts this season will be to enrich tourism by involving private hoteliers,tour and travel operators and local entrepreneurs. We are generating a data on daily and weekend tourists’ arrivals. It will be analysed in the meeting,which I propose to call soon.”

Denying that while the numbers of tourists visiting Himachal has become less,crowd was swelling in Kashmir during last one month,Sharma said: “Till now,more than 39 lakh tourists have already visited Himachal and the figure could create a new record by year-end. Kashmir may get additional tourists influx but what Himachal Pradesh is missing is quality or high paying tourists,who are booking their flights to Srinagar and Leh,instead of coming to Manali or Shimla.”

Sunil Bamba,a leading Manali hotelier,is worried about July and August when the arrivals drop by 50 to 60 per cent. “This is the time when Kashmir takes away Himachal’s major share of tourist bookings,” he said.

“Unless Himachal starts getting more repeat tourists than weekend crowds from Delhi,Chandigarh,Punjab and Haryana,it will not be able to beat Kashmir,” said K S Katoch,a tourist who had to cut short his Shimla trip,due to “lack of cleanliness and hygiene at Kufri”.

However,the popular schemes of home-stay and Har Gaon Ki Kahani has given Himachal a new edge. There are 403 home-stay units registered with the tourism department and all are running packed. “We are full till July 15,” said Vijay,a home-stay promoter at Kullu’s Banjar valley. There is a mad rush of tourists for Rohtang Pass,Dharamsala,Khajjiar,Dalhousie and Chail as well.