“It is good to see the rush. We had nearly 100 percent occupancy on Saturday and around 70 percent on Sunday,” said Sanjay Aggarwal, secretary of Mussoorie Hotels Association. "There were long traffic jams on Gandhi Chowk in Landour and at Picture Palace. Both tourists and locals were stuck in traffic jams," complained a local resident.
Police officials said that considering the weekend rush, an additional police force had been deployed to man the traffic, 90 wrongly parked vehicles were challaned and several persons were fined for violating social distancing norms.
For the second consecutive weekend, thousands of tourists also flocked to Nainital.
Every famous tourist spot like Mall Road, Band Stand, Pant Park and Tibetan market were brimming with tourists, and the pleasant weather made many opt for boating on Naini Lake.
Locals said that for the first time since March-end, they have seen tourists in such high numbers. “Even last week, most of the tourist spots were full but this weekend, the number has increased substantially. Throughout the day, dozens of boats were dotting the Naini Lake while every restaurant saw a large queue and several hotels were full,” said a resident.
The tourists meanwhile also said that they had been waiting for months to visit the hill stations.
“The intermittent rains and the pleasant weather have only added to our joy. We had been waiting to visit Nainital since April. However, we wish that the restaurants allowed people to dine in as it is difficult to eat while walking,” said Prithijit Roy, a tourist from Kolkata.
However, some of the locals also complained that many tourists were flouting the Covid norms and were not even wearing masks properly. “We understand that tourism is the backbone of the town but many places like the Mall Road got overcrowded and people were not even wearing masks properly,” said Ranjit Sinha, a local.
Every famous tourist spot like Mall Road, Band Stand, Pant Park and Tibetan market were brimming with tourists, and the pleasant weather made many opt for boating on Naini Lake.
Locals said that for the first time since March-end, they have seen tourists in such high numbers. “Even last week, most of the tourist spots were full but this weekend, the number has increased substantially. Throughout the day, dozens of boats were dotting the Naini Lake while every restaurant saw a large queue and several hotels were full,” said a resident.
The tourists meanwhile also said that they had been waiting for months to visit the hill stations.
“The intermittent rains and the pleasant weather have only added to our joy. We had been waiting to visit Nainital since April. However, we wish that the restaurants allowed people to dine in as it is difficult to eat while walking,” said Prithijit Roy, a tourist from Kolkata.
However, some of the locals also complained that many tourists were flouting the Covid norms and were not even wearing masks properly. “We understand that tourism is the backbone of the town but many places like the Mall Road got overcrowded and people were not even wearing masks properly,” said Ranjit Sinha, a local.
News Courtesy: TOI
