Even after Himachal's govt reopens state for tourists with conditions, not many hotels are functioning.

The Tourism Department on Saturday issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) with which the tourists are allowed to enter Himachal with conditions such as a report by an ICMR-accredited laboratory not earlier than 72 hours, testing negative for COVID-19 and a prior hotel booking of at least five days.

Such tourists will also have to register online with the state government before entering the state, the state tourism director Yunus Khan said.

The president of the tourism industry stakeholder association, Mohinder Seth, welcomed the decision and said the association was providing training to hotel staff for taking precautions while receiving tourists.

He said the majority of the hotels in the state have not yet opened as they are preparing to receive the tourists.

"We have already conducted training sessions for Shimla hotel owners. Similar training sessions will be held for general managers and subsequently for hotel staff," he added.

Moreover, the hotels in the state usually remain closed for one month, from March 15 to April 15, for annual maintenance which could not be done this year due to the coronavirus induced lockdown, he added.

While most of the 3,550 registered hotels in the state are still closed, all the hotels in Shimla are still closed for tourists, he added.

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