Tourists make a beeline for hill stations

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 24

Amid Dasehra festivities in Kullu and Paragliding World Cup in Kangra, tourists and pilgrims from West Bengal are making a beeline for temples in hill stations, boosting tourism.

Shimla, Manali and MacLeodganj have witnessed a jump of about 10-30 per cent in tourist arrivals in the last two days. The occupancy in hotels in the capital city has increased to about 50 per cent after hoteliers experienced lean weeks early this month.

The city witnessed an increase in tourists from the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

Hoteliers said tourists from Chandigarh add to the flow during weekends.

Anil Shank, a travel agent, said tourists from West Bengal usually arrive at the hill stations during Dasehra, Diwali and Durga Puja celebrations.

He said apart from visiting the legendary Shakti Peeth of Naina Devi, Jawalamukhi, Chintpurni, Brajeshwari in Kangra valley, Bengali tourists also visited the Kali Bari and Tara Devi in Shimla, Bhima Kali in Sarahan and Chandika Devi in Kinnaur, Hidimba Devi in Manali and Mrikula Devi in Udaipur in Lahaul valley for Durga Puja celebrations every year.

He said foreign tourist groups from Europe also added to the tourist inflow.

Officials of the Tourism Department said the Kullu Dasehra Festival attracted domestic as well as foreign tourists. Hoteliers in Manali reported an increase in tourist traffic after the weeklong Kullu Dasehra Festival began on October 22 at the Dhalpur Maidan.

The inflow of tourists to Lahaul-Spiti decreased in October, but tourists visited the high land shrine of the Mrikuli Devi in Udaipur and Chandika Devi in Kinnaur in October, said Tashi Hyarpa, a hotelier from Lahaul.