Himachal sees heavy tourist rush, 20,000 vehicles enter Shimla in 2 days
With tourist influx comes the issue of occupancy; hotels and homestays situated in the key destination of Shimla reported almost full occupancy
After a dull winter, scores of tourists were seen flocking to the Queen of Hills Shimla in the last two days. Over 20,000 vehicles entered the state capital from Delhi, NCR, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan on Friday and Saturday.
With tourist influx comes the issue of occupancy. Hotels and homestays situated in the key destination reported almost full occupancy. The famous hill stations, including Shimla, Dharamshala, Manali and Dalhousie were full to capacity.
“Over 20,000 vehicles of both tourists and locals entered the state capital from the entry points at Shoghi and Ganahatti in last two days,” said superintendent of police Sanjeev Gandhi. “ We have deputed extra police force to regulate the traffic in Shimla, in some areas traffic has been staggered,” he added.
The influx has also led to traffic snarls in the hill stations. “On Friday it was moderate. More tourist vehicles entered the town on Saturday, “said hotelier Mukesh The hotel industry in Shimla was left in lurch as scanty snowfall this season has brought down the tourist footfall. The hotel occupancy in Shimla hovered between 30 to 40% during the peak winter season from November 2022, December 2022 and January 2023. The town this time only experienced 6 centimetres of snowfall during the entire winter season.
“The winter has not been good for the hospitality industry. Now, it’s good to see Shimla and its surrounding buzzing with tourists,” says Prince Kukreja, president of the Shimla Hotel and Restaurateurs Association. “ The hotel occupancy in Shimla has gone upto 80 %,” he added.
Himachal is a tourist destination that draws visitors from across the globe. The state attracted 139.23 lakh tourists, of which 138.97 lakh were Indian and 0.26 lakh foreigners visited the state till November 2022.
The mad rush to the hills has also led to plastic, bottles, garbage and liquor bottles being thrown in parks, forests, and serene hill stations by both locals and tourists.
The picturesque valleys and nature’s paradise are turning into garbage dumping yards and the trash is ruining the beauty of the hills.
Heaps of garbage can be seen in the Western Himalayan Park, Glen Nature Park and Natural Trail, Kufri Hills, Mashobra and Naldehra surrounding Shimla. Similar garbage heaps is also visible in other hill stations.
As the mountain of garbage grows bigger and bigger, the locals in Shimla have demanded strict vigilance against violators. They alleged that the authorities have taken a soft approach towards such people.
The locals also demand the government to launch an awareness drive about sanitisation and proper disposal of waste through hoardings and other means.
Locals said the monitoring of tourists entering the state should be done by the installation of CCTV cameras and Aadhar linkage.
If someone is found violating nature, they should be given exemplary punishments.
“Tourists are coming in large numbers to hills. Nearly 5000 to 7500 vehicles are entering Shimla,” said Karan Nanda, a local.
“It is painful to see that tourists are littering in open forests, nature parks and hill-station, ruining the beauty of the hills where they come to enjoy. Inappropriate behaviour and littering along the hillside have raised fresh concerns for environmentalists. “This was destined to happen, if a pandemic can’t wake us up nothing ever will. I urge local communities and stakeholders to be more vigilant as they are the recipients and payers eventually. Our five years long work is being undone within a few days as we miss the synergy between ecology and economy,” he added.
Some of the tourists are also disappointed to see the unwarranted behaviour of the visitors.
“I had come here to enjoy the beauty of the hills after remaining in lockdown for two years. However, what bothers me is the heaps of garbage here and there. This is unethical. People should realize their responsibility towards nature,” said Vipin, a tourist from Haryana.
Another tourist Jaspreet said the hills are always mesmerising but the plastic waste and liquor bottles littered around were ruining what nature offers.
As far as I am concerned, I have kept waste in my car and would dump it at a proper place, he said.
However, some of the locals also complained that many tourists were flouting the Covid-19 safety norms and were not even wearing masks properly.
