Tourist inflow picks up in Himachal; HPTDC occupancy up by 7 per cent

Shimla, Jun 13 (PTI) Despite the tourist season’s late start amid delays in summer vacations in schools in the plains, the tourist inflow has picked up in Himachal Pradesh, with the occupancy in hotels up by seven per cent as compared to last year, an official said on Saturday.

So far, the room occupancy in Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels, which was 63 per cent last year, has increased to 70 per cent this year, Managing Director HPTDC Rajiv Kumar said.

He added that the summer holidays in plains start from the first week of May or mid-May, but this year the holidays in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh started from May 24 and the season started late.

He said that bikers head to adventure places in Spiti and Kaza during

monsoon and that the state government’s machinery ensures smooth services.

Talking to the PTI videos on Saturday, he said that the HPTDC would soon launch Platinum, gold and silver discount cards with attractive offers in 56 HPTDC hotels in the state as well as commercial rooms of Himachal Bhawan, Chandigarh.

Sometimes a small landslide during the monsoon season has a massive impact on social media, which discourages tourists, he said and added that government machinery is working day and night ensuring that there is no inconvenience to the tourists. PTI BPL SHS