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.
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