Shimla Faces 40-Year Low in New Year Tourist Occupancy Despite Snow Predictions and Chief Minister’s Friendly Directive

Despite the anticipation of weekend snow and the Chief Minister’s directive to adopt a lenient approach towards celebratory revelers on New Year’s, Shimla witnessed a notable decline in tourist footfall, recording a 50-60 percent occupancy, marking “the lowest in the last 40 years.”

Comparatively, the previous year had seen Shimla bustling with more than 80 percent occupancy on New Year’s Eve. The optimism for a ‘white New Year’ was high among hotel and allied industries, but the likelihood of snowfall remains minimal.

Even as the Mall Road and The Ridge in the heart of the city buzzed with tourists, transformed by a winter carnival into a lively fair adorned with lights and cultural festivities, this enthusiasm did not translate into hotel room occupancy, remarked M K Seth, President of the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association.

The current occupancy rate of 50-60 percent is reported to be the lowest in four decades. Surprisingly, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourist rush on New Year’s was higher than the current scenario, according to Seth.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s directive to uphold the hospitality slogan of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (The guest is God) and to ensure seamless traffic flow through adequate arrangements did not yield the expected results. Despite allowing food joints and pan shops to operate round the clock and assuring that drunk tourists would not face arrests but instead be escorted to their hotels by the police, the tourist turnout remained below expectations.

Seth raised concerns about unregistered tourism units affecting the sales of registered hotels, home stays, and other accommodations. He highlighted the issue of touts capturing tourists arriving by train and luxury buses, directing them to unregistered accommodations, further impacting the organized tourism sector.