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Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Travel and Trade Fair Kolkata 2025: Dharamshala hotel body leads Himachal's representation
The Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala has taken the lead to ensure the representation of the state's tourism industry at the Travel and Trade Fair (TTF) Kolkata 2025. The association has also urged the Himachal Pradesh government to resume participation in future trade shows and tourism expos. (File) Travel and Trade Fairs (TTFs) are held throughout the year across various cities in India, serving as important platforms for tourism promotion and industry networking. 'Himachal Pradesh Tourism has traditionally participated in these fairs — including the prestigious TTF Kolkata — with enthusiastic representation from hoteliers and tourism stakeholders across the state. This year, however, the Himachal Pradesh government has opted not to participate in TTF Kolkata 2025. In response, the Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala has taken the lead to ensure that the state's tourism industry continues to have a strong presence,' the association said. The association has also urged the Himachal Pradesh government to resume participation in future trade shows and tourism expos. Ashwani Bamba, president of Dharamshala's Hotel and Restaurant Association, said, 'Government support is crucial to the continued promotion of quality tourism, and the integration of digital marketing strategies that effectively showcase Himachal's offerings to a wider audience,' the association said.
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
After lean start in May, tourist footfall sees rise in Himachal
After witnessing a slowdown in tourist footfall last month due to the escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, Himachal Pradesh has seen a significant increase in tourist arrivals so far in June. The hotel occupancy has also risen in the first week of June, and hoteliers in the hill state are hopeful that the footfall will further increase in the coming weeks. In May, the tourism industry in Himachal suffered losses as many tourists cancelled their bookings amid uncertainty. Tourism stakeholders said that people were hesitant to travel due to the prevailing situation at the time. The closure of airports further restricted movement, adversely affecting tourism in the state. Shimla hotels and tourism stakeholders' association president Mohinder Kumar Seth said that the recent long weekend, due to Eid, helped boost tourism, with hotel occupancy in Shimla reaching around 80–90%. 'The first week of June was better from a tourism perspective compared to the previous month, with occupancy touching up to 50% during weekdays. Last month, there was a steep decline in tourist footfall, and hotel occupancy was only around 20%, leading to significant losses for hoteliers,' he said. 'Since hotels are usually almost fully booked during June, we are expecting occupancy to rise further in the coming weeks, judging by the trend in the first week,' he added. Due to the sharp decline in tourist arrivals last month, hoteliers in Dharamshala even offered discounts on bookings. Traditionally, the peak tourism season in Himachal begins around May 21. However, this year, hotel occupancy in Dharamshala dropped significantly in May, remaining at around 30%. Ashwani Bamba, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala, said that the average hotel occupancy on this weekend was around 80% in Dharamshala and on weekdays it reached to around 50-55%. 'As the temperature in plains is increasing and summer vacations announced in Punjab schools, we expect that the hotel occupancy in Himachal will hover around 75% in coming days till the arrival of monsoon in the state,' he said. Meanwhile, Manali in Kullu district has also seen a surge in the number of tourists in recent days. Anup Thakur, president of the Kullu-Manali Paryatan Vikas Mandal, said that the hotel occupancy which had plummeted during May has gone up now. At present, the occupancy is around 70% and we are hoping that it is further increased in coming weeks. Mostly, the tourists visiting are from neighboring states but there are some tourists from other states as well,' he said.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Tourist footfall dips, hoteliers offer 20% discount in Dharamshala
In the wake of a sharp decline in tourism after India-Pakistan tension post Operation Sindoor, hoteliers in Dharamshala have announced a 20% discount to attract visitors back to the region. The Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala, while condemning the Pahalgam (J&K) attack, said the act of violence raised concerns among travellers across the country and abroad. 'We want to assure all tourists that Dharamshala and the entire Himachal region remain completely peaceful and safe,' said Ashwani Bamba, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dharamshala. Hoteliers in Dharamshala said that a wave of cancellations was seen following the recent escalation in hostilities between India and Pakistan. Traditionally, the peak tourism season in Himachal Pradesh begins around May 21. However, this year, hotel occupancy has plummeted and remains at around 30% currently, as many tourists remain apprehensive about traveling amid the prevailing tensions. 'This is typically the time of year when hotels are fully booked,' said a representative of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamshala. 'But due to the current situation, we are seeing an unusually low tourist footfall.' 'We urge tourists not to cancel or postpone their bookings,' the association said. As bookings begin to recover, hoteliers in Dharamshala reported a hotel occupancy of 40% last Saturday. They anticipate occupancy to remain between 40–45% through the remaining days of May, with expectations that it could rise to over 70% by June.
New Indian Express
03-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Tourists cancel Kashmir bookings, shift to Himachal after Pahalgam attack fallout
CHANDIGARH: Tourists now prefer vacationing in Himachal Pradesh over Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 persons were killed. Approximately 15-20% of both domestic and international bookings have shifted from Kashmir to Himachal's popular destinations including Manali, Shimla and Dharamshala; however, the surge in footfall is not as expected as tourists have adopted a 'wait-and-watch' policy amid prevailing uncertainties and hostilities between India and Pakistan. Ashwani Bamba, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kangra, told TNIE that, after the terror attack, tour operators and potential tourists inquired for booking in Himachal and Uttarakhand and that they expected the surge to be significant. "But, actually only 15-20% of tourists shifted from J&K to Himachal and the rest probably prefer to not venture out during this summer season owing to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Thus, the occupancy of hotels across the state at present is around 40% only, the same as last year. Bookings that were shifted were that of tourist groups traveling from Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states, not the immediate bookings in Kashmir which had gotten cancelled," he said. Bamba added that, in Himachal, Manali had the maximum number of shifted bookings at about 20%, while Dharamsala, Dalhousir and Shimla had much fewer. He said that advance bookings had already been made for the IPL matches in Dharamsala.
New Indian Express
03-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Tourists cancelled bookings in Kashmir, shifted to Himachal amid Indo-Pak relations
CHANDIGARH: Tourists now prefer vacationing in Himachal Pradesh over Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 persons were killed. Approximately 15-20% of both domestic and international bookings have shifted from Kashmir to Himachal's popular destinations including Manali, Shimla and Dharamshala; however, the surge in footfall is not as expected as tourists have adopted a 'wait-and-watch' policy amid prevailing uncertainties and hostilities between India and Pakistan. Ashwani Bamba, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kangra, told TNIE that, after the terror attack, tour operators and potential tourists inquired for booking in Himachal and Uttarakhand and that they expected the surge to be significant. "But, actually only 15-20% of tourists shifted from J&K to Himachal and the rest probably prefer to not venture out during this summer season owing to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Thus, the occupancy of hotels across the state at present is around 40% only, the same as last year. Bookings that were shifted were that of tourist groups traveling from Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states, not the immediate bookings in Kashmir which had gotten cancelled," he said. Bamba added that, in Himachal, Manali had the maximum number of shifted bookings at about 20%, while Dharamsala, Dalhousir and Shimla had much fewer. He said that advance bookings had already been made for the IPL matches in Dharamsala.
