Snow draws tourists to Manali; state capital given cold shoulder

Hotel occupancy in Shimla on weekdays has come down from 70% to 50% whereas it has crossed 80% in Manali

SHIMLA : With erratic weather bringing snow to Kullu and Manali valley, but leaving Shimla battered by untimely rain, a definitive trend has emerged as far as tourist footfall is concerned for the state. A busy summer for the former twin towns, boosted by the summer snow, has meant low occupancy for hotels in the state capital.

Speaking of the weather trend, a senior scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department’s Shimla centre said, “May, which is the start of peak summer season, has witnessed relatively lower temperature this time. The intermittent rainfall and snowfall have kept the temperature low in the high and mid hills.”

“Last year it was sweltering in the plains, tourists rushed to the hills and business boomed. This year, the season has been lean. Instead of Shimla, tourists are making the move to Kullu and Manali,” says Anil Thakur, head of a tour crafter. Hotel occupancy on weekdays, which usually fluctuates between 40 to 70%, has remained close to the lower end of the spectrum at around 50%, he noted.

Footfall in Manali, meanwhile, continues to swell. “The occupancy has crossed 80% at hotels here and is likely to go further up,” says Paryatan Vikas Parishad president Anup Thakur, adding, “Since it’s still snowing even in May, tourists are coming in droves. Many are visiting the snow-covered reaches of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts as well.”

Vijay Inder Karan, a Dharamshala-based hotelier, agreed that the erratic weather has definitely affected business as the tourist influx, barring the time around the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in the third week of May, has remained low in the city.

“My hotel was booked to full capacity around the time of the two matches. After that, the occupancy dropped again,” he said. In Dalhousie too, tourists haven’t delivered on the usual promise. Anoop Kumar, a hotelier, says the region is witnessing one of the leanest tourist seasons and barely any are coming in despite it being time for June.

Homestays here to stay?

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Stakeholders Association, meanwhile, has also ascribed low hotel occupancy in Shimla and other parts to the growing interest in homestays, the numbers of which have also gone up considerably. “The demand is less and accommodations like bed-andbreakfast units have increased manifold,” association president Mohinder Seth President said.

“The bed-and-breakfast and homestays abutting Shimla’s municipal limits are offering rooms at a very low price and paying very high commissions to online travel companies. The hotels are hardly having 40 to 50% occupancy that too on heavily discounted tariffs,” he added.

Tourism constitutes for 7% of Himachal’s total gross domestic product, and contributes around 14.42% of the direct and indirect employment to the state.

Global tourism studies have been wary of the overestimated benefits from tourism, noting that the economic impact of tourism rests heavily on fair estimates of the number and types of visitors.

TOURISM ACCOUNT FOR 7% OF TOTAL GDP OF THE STATE AND 14.42% OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT EMPLOYMENT