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Shimla decks up for the tourist
season
by Nagendra Ranta
Shimla:
Tourists are expected to throng Himachal Pradesh
during this summer. Capital Shimla is expected to draw
the maximum crowd. If you are yet to make plans to be
in Shimla, think again. For, nearly all hotels in Shimla
have already been booked in advance by tourists. "This
time we are getting many bookings from Kolkata, Mumbai,
Surat and Ujjain. Almost till July 15, occupancy in
all the hotels in Shimla is full," said Kedar Sharma,
General Secretary of Himachal Travel Agents Association.
With its colonial heritage and the magical snow-capped
Himalayas in the backdrop, Shimla remains the most sought
after tourist destination for both domestic and foreign
tourists. Every year, Shimla draws a large number of
tourists, mostly honeymooners and college students.
Apart
from the pleasant weather, a vacation in Shimla is supplemented
by other resorts such as Naldehra, Kufri and Mashobra,
visited by thousands of tourists daily. The ideal time
to visit Shimla during summer commences from April 16
and lasts till July end. Shimla attracts tourists from
Delhi, Dehradun, Chandigarh and many other cities. It
is well connected to other tourists destinations like
Manali, Dharamshala, tribal Kinnur and Spiti. Attractive
and compact travel packages are provided by the State
Tourism and other operators. "It is really hot, therefore,
my cousins and I have come here because the weather
is very good and we are enjoying a lot," said Amandeep
Singh, a tourist from Delhi.
The
State-run Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation
(HPTDC) owns hotels and motels at many locations. Until
August, the HPTDC earned a net profit of rupees 36.5
million, which was 25 per cent higher than the last
year. "I think the State has more number of tourists
coming (here) as compared to its total population. It
is evident that the tourism industry is doing a good
job here and even people like it," said G S Bali, Tourism
Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Shimla (earlier known
as Simla)was the summer capital of the erstwhile British
Raj in India. The ridge and the adjacent Mall form the
heart of the city. Vehicular traffic is not allowed
on the Mall, making it a favorite place for walking.
This is also the main shopping area with most of the
shops still housed in old time buildings. One tier below
this shopping area is the Middle Bazaar with smaller
shops mixed with residences. A tier below Middle Bazaar
is the Lower Bazaar which houses small shops catering
to everyday needs and the vegetable market called the
Sabzi-Mandi Shimla District is located in the middle
western ranges of the Himalayas. This region has a hilly
terrain and has an uneven cover of evergreen pine forests.
The Shimla city spreads over the hill at an average
altitude of 2000 meters (about 6,500 feet) above mean
sea level. The city is named for the Goddess Shyamala
Devi, an incarnation of Kali Himachal, with a population
of 60 lakhs, receives nearly 72 lakhs tourists each
year. Out of this, 2.45 lakh are foreign tourists. This
tourism and hospitality industry contributes about 800
crores of rupees to the State's gross domestic circuit.
-April
26, 2007
