Manali swamped by 50k over weekend

Abhinav Vashisht

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Kullu, May 27

Manali’s tourist influx doubled this weekend as the town witnessed 8,750 out-of-state vehicles being registered at the Green Tax barrier in the last three days. According to the data provided by the Manali Tourism Development Council (TDC), 2,687 vehicles arrived on Friday, 3,031 on Saturday and 3,033 on Sunday.

These figures also include luxury buses from other states.

Previously, at the most, around 1,500 vehicles were being registered at the barrier during the weekends in May. According to sources, over 50,000 tourists arrived to Manali over the weekend.

As mercury rises in the plains and summer vacations begin, tourists have been flocking Manali to seek respite from the scorching heat.

The increase in tourist footfall can also be attributed to the fact that the general elections are about to conclude.

Hotspots in and around Manali were buzzing with tourists. The jam-packed Mall Road came alive with visitors in the evenings.

According to tourism beneficiaries, their businesses gained such momentum after a long time. Manali Hoteliers Association (MHA) president Mukesh Thakur said an uptick in tourist footfall was witnessed over the weekend, with many hotels of the town experiencing around 90 per cent occupancy.

He said, “The drive between Chandigarh and Manali has become more convenient due to the new four-lane national highway, making the town more accessible. The surge in the number of tourists is expected to continue during the next few days.”

A stark contrast to the unbearable heat of the plains, the beautiful valleys of Manali are much-loved by tourists, who also enjoy frolicking in the snow at Rohtang Pass and various adventure activities.

Tourists are also moving to Lahaul valley through the Atal Tunnel to savour the snow at Sissu, Koksar and Gramphu.

Traffic jams have become a routine affair on the Manali-Palchan, Hadimba and Vashisht roads due to the increase in the number of tourists. It is pertinent to note that this time, almost no additional police force was deployed in the wake of elections and limited police personnel are present to regulate traffic. Anila, a resident, lamented that some drivers were flouting traffic rules, commuting on the wrong side on one-way roads. She said, “This was adding to the problems of the commuters and such violators should be penalised.”