subject: Tourists Crowd Himachal For Long Weekend [print this page] 'As usual, the response of the tourists is good. But this time, a long weekend is an added advantage to the tourism industry. Most of our hotels have got tremendous bookings,' Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) General Manager Yogesh Behl told IANS.
The corporation has 57 economy and high-end hotels across the state with 1,070 rooms that have 2,320-bed capacity. It also runs 60 restaurants and cafes.
Over 50,000 tourists are expected to reach Shimla and nearby tourist spots Friday, according to tourism department estimates.
Harnam Kukreja, president of Shimla Hotels and Restaurants Association, said: 'As the heat wave intensified in the plains, the tourist arrivals have picked up in Shimla. But this time we are expected to receive 50,000 more guests due to the long weekend.'
He said 80 percent of the bookings have been done well in advance.
The most sought-after destination this time also is Manali, about 250 km from Shimla, and its nearby areas, tourism industry representatives said.
'This summer too, Manali has emerged as a hub of tourists, mainly because of accumulation of snow in the nearby areas of the town,' Gajinder Thakur, general secretary of the Manali Hoteliers Association, said.
He said most tourists are preferring to visit the Marhi slopes, about 32 km from Manali, to enjoy skiing, snow-scooter rides and sledging.
Manali is the only hill destination in the state from which tourists can easily reach snowy slopes.
'We have especially come from Jaipur to enjoy the cool environs. In our town, the temperature touches 40 degrees Celsius, here (in Marhi) we really enjoy the snowcapped fun,' tourist Vikrant Parmar said.
Popular tourist resorts like Narkanda, Kasauli, Palampur, Chamba and Dalhousie are also getting a good response from the tourists.
Himachal Pradesh, whose economy is highly dependent on tourism, attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year. This year, 917,807 people visited the state till Feb 28.
by: Raman Mankotia
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