Tourists flock to Shimla, Kufri

Shimla, December 31

A bright, blue sky welcomed the tourists who reached Shimla today to ring in New Year. Not finding Shimla draped in white sheet of snow left them a little disappointed, but it did not take them long to shake off the disappointment and succumb to the festive spirit. As the day progressed, tourists coming from different parts of the country were seen strolling on the Ridge and Mall Road, enjoying the weather and scenic beauty and clicking pictures.

“The weather is good, but unfortunately there’s no snow. Nevertheless, we are enjoying ourselves and looking forward to celebrating New Year,” said Rajinder Kumar from Gurugram.

Many tourists, for whom the New Year celebrations are incomplete without snow, went to Kufri and Narkanda, where it had snowed last evening. “We are having a great time here, having seen the snow has made the trip even more enjoyable,” said Krishna Paras from Gwalior.

Even as the tourists seemed happy despite no snowfall in Shimla and just a sprinkling in Kufri and Narkanda, most hoteliers sounded a little disappointed as the footfall on New Year’s eve turned out to be less than their expectations.

The occupancy estimates of the hoteliers varied. “Like other years, we were expecting 100% occupancy on New Year’s eve. However, the occupancy is around 80 to 90 per cent. Maybe the lack of snowfall diverted the tourists elsewhere,” said Prince Kukreja, vice-president of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association.

MK Seth, president, Tourism Industry Stakeholders’ Association, threw up even more dismal figures. “In most of the hotels, the occupancy is just 50 to 70%,” said Seth, blaming the traffic advisory issued by the administration which said the tourists who did not have hotel booking would not be allowed to drive into the city, and their vehicles would be parked at Tutikandi, a few kilometres ahead of the main city.

“The advisory has discouraged tourists from coming to Shimla. Many hotels have seen cancellations in bookings in the past few days,” he added.

Nevertheless, the city roads were choked with vehicles by Saturday evening and the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.