M A I N   N E W S

Kargil drives tourists to HP
From Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, April 15 — The spurt in terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir following the Kargil conflict is proving a boon to Himachal Pradesh which is heading for a busy tourist season.

With the mercury shooting up, tourists from all over the country are making a beeline to various destinations in the state. The tourist traffic has picked up almost a month earlier than usual.

The inflow of holiday makers to Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala and Dalhousie has increased. If the huge rush for booking of rooms is any indication, most hotels in the main tourist resorts will have 100 per cent occupancy during May and June. The occupancy is 25 to 30 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year.

Last year the state had a relatively lean season. While some tourist traffic went to the largely peaceful Kashmir before the Kargil conflict, unseasonal rains in May cut short the summer. Even big hotels were forced to give concession on room tariff during the peak seasons.

As per the records of the Tourist Department, 45 lakh tourists visited the state during 1999. While the overall traffic did not show any appreciable increase over the previous year, the number foreigner tourists increased from 75,000 in 1998 to 85,000 in 1999, mainly because Kashmir-bound tourists landed in the state because of the Kargil conflict.

Continued turmoil in Kashmir over the past decade has turned out to be a blessing for Himachal. It has emerged as the most popular tourist destination in northern India. While Shimla and the Kulu valley have been attracting tourists since long, even Chamba and Kangra valleys emerged alternative destinations.

The rapid expansion of the hotel industry over the past decade provides a clear indication of the tourism boom that the state is witnessing. The total number of hotels in the state has increased from 298 in 1989 to 1241. As many as 101 new hotels were registered during 1999 and another hundred were under construction. The total bed capacity has touched the 30,000 mark and Kulu-Manali alone have 514 hotels with a bed capacity of 12,572.

Even land locked tribal areas which were opened to tourism only five years ago is gaining from the boom and as many as 12 hotels have come up in the Lahaul-Spiti valley. The luxury tax collection have increased from Rs 64 lakh in 1989-90 to over Rs 6 crore in 1999-2000.

The Tourism Department has planned a number of events to provide added attractions and diversion from routine sight-seeing. These include a food festival to provide a taste of the Himachali cuisine, trips to important places along the Hindustan-Tibet road, Kalchakra celebrations at the key monastery in Spiti and treks to acquaint visitors with the rich flora of Himalayas.

Besides, it has decided to conduct regular helicopter flights between Shimla and Manali, the ticket for which will be Rs 2000 per seat. Special flights will be organised to Spiti during the Kalchakra celebration.

The flights to Kinner Kailash will on a regular basis and more destinations will be added on the circuit depending on the response, says Mr Bal Ram Sharma, Director of Tourism.

Other attractions include para-sailing, river rafting and watersports which have been introduced at the Pandoh reservoir this season.