Kasauli, Chail wear deserted look, hoteliers await tourists

Ambika Sharma

Solan, October 20

Tourism is yet to pick up in key destinations of Kasauli and Chail despite the damaged roads having been repaired and pleasant weather offering the much-needed respite to visitors from plains.

Hotels, who registered about 10-15 per cent occupancy owing to long weekend, were now waiting for the visitors to turn up.

“Barely five rooms are booked for tomorrow. This is in contrast to the usual trend where the month of October offered some respite to the hotel industry,” said Balbir Singh, a senior official of a hotel near Kasauli.

Echoing similar views Winne Chaddha, another hotelier and Advisor, Kasauli Residents and Hoteliers Association, said, “The tourism rush is yet to pick pace in Kasauli which has been facing a lean season since August.”

He observed that, “Though the neighbouring states like Jammu and Kashmir as well as Uttarakhand are registering higher occupancy, Kasauli has been lagging behind like other tourist destinations of the state.”

The fear of roads and bridges having been damaged in the monsoon season when thousands of tourists were stuck at various places may be keeping the tourists away, said another hotelier. He observed that the heavy damage caused by the rain s appears to be posing a deterrent for the tourists.

Traders in Kasauli shared similar views as they waited for the tourists to throng this cantonment town. “Though the last weekend did witness a slight improvement, it has failed to sustain. Markets wore a deserted look after the weekend,” said Amit, a trader in Kasauli.

Chail also faced a dearth of tourists as the hoteliers waited for their arrival. Devinder Verma, president, Chail Hotel Association, said, “Tourism was suffering as the state government’s decision to levy Rs 5,000 per day as special road tax on every tourist vehicle had discouraged the tour operators who preferred other places like Uttarakhand and J&K.”