Kufri snow park attempts to arrest Shimla tourism ‘slide’

Snow Kingdom, north India’s biggest snow park located at the picturesque Kufri, near Shimla, has been set up with an aim to boosting the tourism sector in the state capital and adjoining areas. Situated at an altitude of 8,800 ft, the park spanning over 12,000 sq fts offers year-round snow activities, including sledging, slides and tube rides, giving tourists an experience of the activities that are only possible during the winter season.

Prateek Thakur, Director of Adventure Resort in Kufri, while highlighting the declining tourist influx in the state capital in recent years said there was an urgent need for continuous innovation and adding new attractions to compete effectively in the current landscape in the tourism sector.

“As part of our ongoing efforts, Adventure Resort has introduced Himachal’s first indoor snow park, which offers a year-round snow experience to visitors. Such initiatives are crucial for revitalising tourism sector and similar efforts are needed from all stakeholders in the tourism industry,” he added.

“The resort has attracted around 3 lakh tourists, including domestic as well as international visitors, over the past one year. More than 15,000 tourists have visited Snow Kingdom in the past one month,” he added.

Stakeholders hold meet

Amid growing concerns over the declining tourist influx in Shimla, tourism professionals gathered at New Kufri for a ‘Tourism and Travel Meet’ today. The event aimed to address the challenges being faced by the tourism industry, discuss future prospects and explore ways to promote tourism in the region.

The meet was attended by tour and travel operators, hotel owners and adventure tourism professionals. The discussions centered around various aspects of tourism, including the impact of Covid and natural disaster, that have affected the tourist influx over the past few years. The participants expressed their concern over the diminishing appeal of Shimla and Kufri as premier tourist destinations and emphasised collaborative efforts to revive the sector.

Narendra Bhardwaj, Founder of Colors of India Tours and Private Limited, said there was a significant decline in the tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh as compared to neighbouring states. He attributed the decline to inadequate air and rail connectivity and traffic congestion on the roads, which caused inconvenience for the tourists.

Bhardwaj also pointed out that post-disaster, there had been a sense of insecurity among potential visitors about travelling to Himachal during adverse weather conditions. He highlighted the growing presence of large hotel chains in Shimla and Kufri and underscored the need for professional training in the tourism sector to compete at the global level.

Sanjay Sharma, Director of Mountain Mystery Tour Operators, also expressed his disappointment over the current state of tourism infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh. He criticised the lack of effective communication between private businesses and the state government and stressed the need for significant improvements in road connectivity and transportation.

Sharma also highlighted the intense competition from neighbouring states and international destinations. He called for enhanced governmental efforts for infrastructure development to revive and sustain the tourism industry in the state.