Major tourist destinations like Kullu, Manali, Lahaul and Spiti were battered by heavy rains and subsequent flooding. (Image: AP/File)
The HPTDC said the off-season discount was being introduced early instead of August-end due to heavy rains and low occupancy at hotels run by the corporation
The Himachal Pradesh government’s tourism corporation is offering a 50 percent discount on room tariffs at all its hotels till September 15. With the state battered by heavy rains impacting the tourism industry and the off season about to set in, the state government is offering this massive discount to accommodate tourists and increase occupancy at its otherwise highly coveted properties.
Officials from the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) said this discount was being offered due to heavy rainfall in the state. The corporation said it will immediately come into effect. During normal times, the off-season discount comes into effect from the end of August but the decision to offer it earlier was made to assist the impacted tourism sector.
The state’s tourism industry has taken the biggest hit due to torrential rains and subsequent flooding, while hotels have been reporting drastic reduction in occupancy. The state government has estimated overall losses in excess of Rs 5,000 crore.
The industry is also contemplating seeking tax rebates and other concessions to tide over the losses. The members of the hotel association in Kullu and Manali are contemplating approaching the state government to announce incentives so that the industry gets back on track.
Continuous rains have not helped the cause of the industry either. In another tourist destination of Rohru, major parts of the district have been cut off from the rest of the state. Even orchards in some parts have been washed away by flash floods.
Tourism in major destinations like Kullu, Manali, Lahaul and Spiti was also hit, especially at a time when the sector was upbeat recording the highest-ever tourist turnout of 1.06 crore in the first six months of the year. Tourist arrivals within the first six months, up to June 30, had surpassed all previous records.
This was a massive jump from the nearly 86 lakh tourist footfall recorded for the same time frame last year. Not just popular destinations, but unexplored areas in tribal areas of Lahaul were receiving a good number of travellers.
