More than 1 crore tourists visited Himachal Pradesh from January to June, an increase of 80,697 as compared to the corresponding period last year, was witnessed, claims state officials on Wednesday.
Key destinations such as Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Kinnaur, Lahaul, and Spiti attracted tourists, officials claimed.
According to an official statement issued by the tourism department, the state saw the arrival of 1,00,87,440 tourists from January to June this year as compared to 1,00,06,743 tourists in the same period last year.
A state government officer said, "McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala where Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides, is in Kangra district. Foreign tourists are always eager to visit this place. In the last six months, 5,114 foreign tourists visited Kullu, and 1,917 visited Kinnaur."
The trend has continued in July, aided by favourable weather conditions and open roads, allowing tourists to escape the heat in the plains, the statement said.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "Despite recent weather conditions affecting some roads, most of the roads across the state have remained accessible.”
“Influx of tourists continues in July and we expect to get more than two crore visitors by the end of this year", he added.
The chief minister emphasised the importance of tourists remaining updated about the latest travel advisories and road conditions through the helplines of the district administrations, police departments, and social media handles.
“Tourist safety and enjoyment are our top priorities,” he added.
He said the Public Works Department is working diligently to clear any road blockades and restore travel routes swiftly.
The number of tourists arriving in the state in the first six months was 89 lakh in 2018, 99.57 lakh in 2019, 22.04 lakh in 2020, 19.75 lakh in 2021, and 86.42 lakh in 2022.
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