Dharamsala hoteliers hit hard

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 3

Water crisis in Shimla and closure of many hotels due to illegal constructions, have adversely impacted tourism in Dharamsala region. The Hotel Association of Dharamsala has claimed that this year they suffered a loss of about Rs 30 lakh per day.

Ashwani Bamba, the president of the hotel association, said there had been steep drop in the inflow of tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh this summer. The news regarding water crisis in Shimla had spread across the world. Even international tourists who used to come to Dharamsala during summers had cancelled their bookings, he said.

When asked, how the water crisis in Shimla had impacted tourism in Dharamsala region, Bamba said most of the tourists who came to Himachal Pradesh generally travelled in circuits. The tourists visit, Shimla, Dharamsala and Manali in a circuit. The cancellation of bookings in Shimla have also impacted Dharamsala, he said.

Sanjeev Gandhi, the general secretary of the hotel association, said generally in May and June, the rooms in Dharamsala region were sold out. However, this year in June also, most of the hotel rooms were vacant. Besides, about 140 hotels had lost their water and power connections and were non-functional so the loss to the tourism industry was tremendous, he said.

Though the tourism industry contributes just 4 per cent to the GDP of Himachal Pradesh, the sector generates large number of direct and indirect employment. The closure of hotels and sharp decline in the number of tourists visiting the state could adversely impact employment and economy in the state.