Hospitality units in Kullu offer huge discounts for longer stay

Abhinav Vashisht
Kullu, May 28

The hospitality units of Kullu-Manali have started offering huge discounts to lure tourists for longer stays under the concept of ‘Work from mountains’. Very few hotels, cottages, home stays, guest houses and other hospitality units are open as there is no footfall of tourists amid the Covid crisis. Some of these have started providing huge discounts of up to 80 per cent for longer stay.

An online booking portal, Madpackers, had put a slogan, “The longer you stay, the lesser you pay.” They have been offering seven days for Rs 1,499, 15 days for Rs 2,499, 30 days for Rs 4,499 and 60 days for Rs 5,999 in Manali.

Company executive Mayank said this rate was for one person and included stay with free Wi-Fi. He added that proper care of sanitisation was ensured for safe stay. He added that mostly youngsters were opting for their long stay packages.

The ‘Work from mountains’ is a joint initiative between travel companies Travel The Himalayas and Sunshine Adventures. Now, this concept is being adopted by many hospitality units, especially in the rural areas.

Ankit Sood, owner of the Sunshine Adventures, said, “Our standalone mountain homes and cottages in the wilderness and in the villages, far from the urban civilisation, are perfect to work and relax in the company of mountains, forests and rivers.” He said necessary essential items to create a comfortable and safe working environment were provided.

Ankit said even amid the curfew, many employees of private companies and even government employees were coming for long stays ranging from 15 days to two months.

Meanwhile, Manali Hoteliers’ Association president Anup Ram Thakur said tourist footfall was nil. He said due to the curfew, some rare visitors who come too will also have to stay confined to the premises of their stay. He said the government should provide clear guidelines for safe and comfortable stay of the tourists.