Himachal: Rs 2,000 crore loss for tourism sector in July-August
SHIMLA: The tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh suffered losses of about Rs 2,000 crore in July and August, owing to which hoteliers in the state have started offering attractive packages to get back on track.
The tourism industry in the hill state, which was in the revival process after Covid-19, received another blow as the monsoon wreaked havoc, leading to low tourist footfall.
This sector, which contributes over Rs 14,000 crore annually to Himachal Pradesh’s GDP, lost around Rs 2,000 crore during July and August as heavy rains damaged road infrastructure and also cast a shadow on the already restricted air and rail connectivity, officials of the tourism department said.
“The tourism industry has suffered heavy losses and the only silver lining was an influx of devotees in six Shakti Peeths in Una, Bilaspur and Kangra districts of the state,” Amit Kashyap, managing director of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), said on Sunday.
About 8.24 lakh pilgrims visited Chintpurni, Sri Naina Devi, Jawalaji, Brajeshwari, Sri Baglamukhi and Chamunda Devi shrines during the Navratri from August 17 to 25, according to police data.
The pre-monsoon season, however, witnessed a surge in tourist arrival and a maximum of 1.06 crore tourists visited Himachal Pradesh during the first six months of 2023 as compared to 86.4 lakh in the corresponding period in 2022, but the monsoon fury played the spoilsport, Kashyap added.
