Himachal Pradesh: Heavy rainfall, landslides and floods severely affect tourism

A series of landslides and floods caused by incessant rainfall in Himachal Pradesh has talked a toll on the state's tourism sector. The North Indian state had witnessed tourists flock in large numbers post the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Himachal Pradesh has been receiving heavy rainfall over the past several days and has recorded a 6% increase in rainfall compared to normal after a gap of 16 years. 

Natural disasters hit state tourism

Heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides have not only affected the livelihoods of people but also severely impacted Himachal Pradesh's tourism sector.

"There are no tourists here. Many routes are closed due to landslides. Bookings have been cancelled. We're facing difficult times," Kartar Singh, a taxi operator from Kangra lamented,

Speaking on the matter, District tourism officer Sunaina Sharma said that recent incidents have created a negative impact on the tourism sector which had just begun gaining momentum after opening up to tourists. "We had a good footfall of tourists in June till July 10-11. Now our occupancy has reduced to 10% from 90% due to the weather," she informed.  

Sharma added that hill stations like Beed and Dharamshala in Kangra normally witness a huge footfall of tourists, but the weather conditions are preventing that from happening. 

Earlier, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had said that the state has already suffered a loss of Rs 632 crore due to heavy rains, landslides, and cloudbursts. 

Roads, highways closed 

After the Himachal Pradesh Government recently announced a relaxation of COVID-19 protocols, several tourists were seen flocking to several of the state's popular holiday destinations like Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala.

The situation was a welcome sight for Himachal Pradesh as the tourism sector remains an important driver of economic growth. Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions to contain the virus spread had severely affected tourism in the state. This year, too, Himachal witnessed lesser tourists in comparison to previous years. 

It was only last month that the state saw its tourism sector pick up some steam. However, the present weather conditions, coupled with a series of natural disasters is discouraging visits into the state. Last month, too, numerous landslides caused severe damage to life and property. 

Several National Highways and roads were blocked due to massive landslides and cave-ins. On August 4, the Nahan-Kumarhatti road on National Highway 907 was closed due to a massive landslide.  

(Image Credits: ANI)