The tourist inflow in Shimla has increased in recent weeks, bringing hope to the tourism industry, which was hit hard by floods and landslides earlier this year. Bengali tourists, who typically visit Shimla during the Navratri festival have started arriving in the town.
Speaking to ANI, Priyanka Naskar, a tourist from Kolkata, expressed her happiness on arrival to Shimla. "It is good to be here. I am coming for the first time. We were in a state of fear that there were floods and rains that caused havoc here. But it is very good here and we are enjoying it. I would recommend everyone to come here and ask our Bengali people not to cancel their bookings, it is very good here. I wanted to come once to hills here and now I am happy to be here," said Priyanka Naskar, a tourist.
Pravir Haldar, a tourist from West Bengal lauded the Himachal Pradesh government's efforts to restore all roads. Weekend tourists from neighboring states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi are also flocking to Shimla.
Notably, due to Milad-un-Nabi/Eid-e-Milad and Gandhi Jayanti holidays accompanied by Saturday and Sunday off on the 28th, 29th, 30th, September and 1st, and 2nd of October have caused a rush among tourists to visit Shimla, reported Business Standard.
Mohinder Seth, President of the Himachal Pradesh Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Stakeholders Association said that the tourist arrival has increased after the floods and that the industry is hopeful of good business ahead.
Thousands of tourists annually visit Hill state, as per data available with the tourism department of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2019 nearly 1720000 tourists including nearly 400000 foreign tourists visited the state with a jump of nearly 5 per cent in comparison to the year 2018.