Himachal Pradesh is a major tourism destination. The contribution of the tourism sector to the state GDP is about seven percent, a significant one. The government has permitted to open the hotel in Unlock 3.0 but the rules under which the tourists are allowed to come to the state are stringent and the tourists are not showing interest in coming to the state, said a statement by the Shimla-based Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association.
According to the rules of the state Tourism Department, it is mandatory for tourists to book hotels for five days and bring the Covid-19 negative report and that is not more than 72 hours old.
"In Himachal normally tourists stay at one tourist destination for one to two days. In today's situation, all industries, trade, private, and government offices have opened and it is impossible for any tourist to spare five days for the holiday," said its President Mohinder Seth.
On the other hand, he said, the fees for conducting a COVID test from the ICMR is Rs 2,500 which is high. "If four members of a family have to undergo the test, they have to spend Rs 10,000 and moreover tourists hesitate to get their family tested for COVID because of fear of the virus. If we talk of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat and other states, if a traveler wants to go to these states for 72 hours, neither an e-pass nor a COVID negative report is required," he said.
"This is the reason the hotels which are open are having negligible occupancy. Many tourists who tried to come by getting COVID negative reports did not get registration. That is why the tourists are not coming to Himachal," he said.
"And like other states, tourists should be allowed to come for 72 hours so that the most affected industry can get some relief," the hoteliers said.
Also, the government should make provision for making entry by the tourists on arrival at the state borders. Members of the hospitality industry said that in recent times they have never seen such a disaster as the arrival of tourists has almost stopped, and hotel bookings vanished as the state closed its borders and imposed lockdown.
The state's tourist footfall last year increased to 172.12 lakh, which included 3.83 lakh foreigners, from 164.50 lakh in 2018. The highest arrival in 14 years was at 196.02 lakh in 2017.
News Courtesy: ET
