Gloom to carnival mood

Pratibha Chauhan

IT’S been a tough year for the hill state. After the havoc Himachal Pradesh had to endure following unprecedented monsoon rains, the winter months have come as a blessing of sorts for the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The tourism sector constitutes 7 per cent of the state’s GDP and accounts for 14.42 per cent direct and indirect employment.

Tourists have been flocking to the popular hill towns to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year. This is in sharp contrast to the scenario post monsoons, when the tourism sector took a severe beating as horrifying visuals of collapsing high-rise buildings and majestic deodar trees went viral.

Holding of the winter carnival in the state capital was among the several steps taken by the government to give a boost to tourism. A majority of hotels in Shimla, Manali, Kasauli and Dharamsala are witnessing near-full occupancy. The government proposes to set up aerial ropeways at Shimla, Kullu and Kangra as major attractions. Kangra is being promoted as the tourism capital of the state; among the proposals is a Rs 300-crore zoological park and a tiger safari at Bankhandi spread across 195 hectares.

In 2023, Himachal saw the arrival of 1.51 crore tourists, which despite the odds, was an increase of 168 per cent over the previous year. Efforts are afoot to tap the unexplored health and wellness tourism, and to lay thrust on utilising solar energy, besides harnessing the vast hydro-power potential.

Unemployment, though, remains a major concern. Almost 8.21 lakh educated youth are registered in employment exchanges, with limited industrial activity and shrinking job avenues in the government sector.

What makes the task tougher for the state government is the acute financial crunch. The debt trap has crossed Rs 80,000 crore.

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#Monsoon