Tourists in Manali for New Year revelry

Mandi, December 30

Hotels of Kullu and Manali are packed to capacity due to the arrival of tourists for New Year celebrations. As a result, long traffic jams were witnessed in Manali town and its nearby paces for the past two days.

Anup Thakur, president of the Kullu-Manali Paryattan Vikas Mandal, said, “The hotels in Manali are full for New Year celebrations. It is a good sign for the tourism industry, as a sharp decline in tourist arrivals in Kullu and Manali was witnessed after the outbreak of Covid-19. The hotel industry has suffered huge losses due the lockdown and restrictions”.

Manu Sharma, secretary of the Hoteliers Association Manali, said, “A majority of hotels in Manali are packed with tourists, who have arrived for New Year celebrations. There is adequate snow available on the ground for tourists at Solang, Gulaba and the Atal Tunnel”.

“Due to a heavy rush of tourist vehicles, roads leading to the Hadimba temple and the Solang valley witnessed frequent traffic jams for the past two days. From January 2 to 6, the district administration is organising the Winter Carnival at Manali. We are hopeful that tourists, who have come here to celebrate New Year, will extend their vacation till January 6 to enjoy the Winter Carnival,” he added. — TNS