IPL matches in Dharamsala next week but no uptick in tourism
Three IPL matches to be played in the Dharamsala cricket stadium have failed to give a boost to tourism in the city. Hoteliers say that their hotels in lower Dharamsala have about 70 per cent bookings for next week while in the upper Dharamsala region, including McLeodganj, Bhagsunag and Dharamkot, they have about 35 per cent to 40 per cent bookings.
The hoteliers allege that tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack have affected tourism in the area. Many people are now afraid to travel to Himachal with war clouds hovering over Pakistan. Ashwani Bamba, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kangra, says that after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, they received a large number of inquiries from tour operators, who were looking to divert tourist groups from Jammu and Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh. However, those inquiries did not translate into bookings, he adds.
Bamba says that the war rant on electronic and social media has affected the flow of tourists. Many tourist groups from Maharashtra and Gujarat have cancelled their hotel bookings in Himachal due to the fear of a war breaking out between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, he adds.
Ravi Sharma, another hotelier, says that the fear of a war breaking out between India and Pakistan is affecting tourist arrivals, especially from southern states. Many groups have cancelled their plans due to the fear of war. About the three IPL matches to be played in Dharamsala next week, he says that most of the spectators of the matches are coming from the adjoining states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the spectators do not have advance hotel bookings and instead prefer spot bookings. "We are expecting that the number of tourists in the region will pick up on the days when the IPL matches will be played," he adds.
Meanwhile, the district administration has geared up to tackle the tourist rush on the days the IPL matches will be played in Dharamsala. SSP, Kangra, Shallini Agnihotri has circulated a one-way traffic plan to be implemented in Dharamsala city on the match days. Security has been tightened in the city and around 1,000 police personnel have been deployed on traffic and law and order duty on these days.
Dharamsala will host three IPL matches this month. As per the IPL schedule released recently, the first cricket match will be played in Dharamsala on May 4 between Punjab Kings XI and Lucknow Super Giants. On May 8, Punjab Kings XI will clash with Delhi Capitals while on May 11, Punjab Kings XI will take on Mumbai Indians.
