On New Year, Shimla witnessed a tourist occupancy of over 60 per cent until Sunday evening, marking it as the lowest in the past four decades. In contrast, the previous year saw Shimla with an occupancy rate exceeding 80 per cent on New Year's Day.
The Mall Road and The Ridge in the town centre are bustling with tourists during the winter carnival. The place is filled with lights and cultural events. However, despite the high number of tourists, hotel occupancy in Shimla remains low, according to MK Seth, the president of the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association.
Despite the large number of tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh on December 31, many of them went back to their respective states that night without making hotel reservations. As a result, hotels experienced a decrease in the number of visitors.
In the same way, many tourists who chose to stay in Shimla also chose to spend their nights at homestays instead of hotels because they were cheaper.
The tourism sector in the state has suffered a significant blow, accounting for 7.89% of its GDP. This setback was caused by both the pandemic and the floods in 2023.
The Winter Carnival at the Ridge in Shimla is being organized by the Himachal Pradesh government and Shimla district administration. This event, taking place from December 31 to January 4, aims to boost tourism in the state.
As quoted in India Today, Prince Kukreja, the vice-president of Shimla Hotel Association, said, “This is the first time in 40 years that we witnessed such low occupancy rate in hotels. One of the main reasons behind this was that many tourists had come to see snowfall, but as there was no snowfall in the area, they went back. Another reason behind this is that many people prefer to stay in low-budget homestays over staying in hotels. Many of the homestays are not even legally registered.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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