The tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh is making a strong comeback after being worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the tourism department, tourist arrival in the state reached 1.51 crore in 2022, a 62 percent increase from 2021 when only 56.37 lakh tourists visited.
The twin districts of Kullu and Shimla accounted for 36 percent of the total tourist arrival, with the maximum number of visitors coming in May and June. The tourism sector contributes approximately 7.5 percent to the state's gross domestic product, though tourists staying in unregistered accommodations are not included in this data.
The aggressive targeted marketing efforts by the tourism department in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh have played a major role in the increase in tourist footfall.
The department focused on marketing through jingles in vernacular languages and advertisements on television, multiplexes, bus stands, and railway stations. The efforts have resulted in the tourist inflow reaching 87 percent of pre-COVID figures.
A local hotelier, Sushant Nag, said that the tourist footfall in December was lower than expected due to a lack of snow in Shimla, but that a permanent solution to the problem of traffic congestion and parking in popular tourist destinations like Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala could further improve the tourist numbers.
The Atal tunnel (Rohtang), the new gateway to Lahaul and Spiti, has emerged as a popular tourist hotspot, as well as Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti.
Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama, Shimla with its British architecture, and Kullu-Manali for its snow and adventure sports, continue to attract tourists. The "Shakti Peeths" in Kangra, Bilaspur, Una, Simaur, and Mandi, known for their ancient Shiva temples, and Kinnaur, Lahaul, Spiti, and Chamba for foreign tourists and adventure lovers, are also popular tourist destinations.
It's worth noting that the tourism and allied industry suffered significant losses during the pandemic, with tourist inflow dropping by 81 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Despite this, the numbers are slowly but surely recovering, and the tourist arrival in Himachal Pradesh reached 1.72 crore in 2019, 32.13 lakhs in 2020, and 56.37 lakhs in 2021.
