Tourist footfall improves in Manali

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, March 27

With the onset of summer the tourist influx in Manali has started increasing. The occupancy of hotels and homestays in Manali has started improving gradually. The occupancy doubles at the weekend.

The number of tourist vehicles crossing Manali’s Green Tax Barrier has sharply risen to over 1,600 every day. Around 100 Volvo buses have started plying between Delhi and Manali daily.

Tourists are crossing the Atal Tunnel to visit the pristine Lahaul valley, which still dons a white mantle. They are also enjoying themselves in the Solang Nullah area. The Hadimba temple and Vashisht hot springs are popular among the tourists. The Mall Road is also witnessing a gradual increase in crowd.

The beneficiaries of the tourism industry say that they are expecting a booming summer season, as people have been facing boredom for the past two years due to Covid-induced restrictions.

Now with people coming to tourist destinations, the ailing tourism industry and its stakeholders are expecting much-needed relief.

Hoteliers say that tourists have started making bookings for April onwards. Though the pace of bookings is slow, it is likely to pick up. The rising number of tourists has raised the hopes of the local tourism stakeholders. A hotelier says that the tourist influx will increase when the summer vacation begins in April onwards.

Manali Hoteliers Association (MHA) president Mukesh Thakur says that they have high hopes of doing good business in the upcoming summer season, as they have incurred huge losses in the past two years due to the Covid crisis. He adds that tourists have started booking hotels online for the summer season and some of the hospitality units are already sold out.