Hotels in Shimla saw occupancy of around 60 per cent during New Year’s Eve on Sunday, the lowest in 40 years. This rate is even lower than the occupancy the hotels had during the pandemic.
Although Himachal Pradesh saw a huge influx of tourists on December 31, most of them returned to their states at that night and didn’t book hotels, resulting in low footfalls in hotels.
Similarly, several tourists, who preferred staying back at Shimla, preferred to spend their night at homestays, which were available for cheaper prices than many hotels.
The state’s tourism industry, which makes up 7.89 per cent of its GDP, has faced a heavy setback, first due to the pandemic and then due to the floods in 2023.
The Himachal Pradesh government and Shimla district administration have organised the Winter Carnival at the Ridge in the city for the first time from December 31 to January 4 to revive tourism in the state.
Prince Kukreja, the vice-president of Shimla Hotel Association, told…
