Slide in tourists to Himachal

The Dera Sacha controversy in Punjab has begun to take its toll on tourist arrivals in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.

This is peak summer tourist season in several hill resorts of Himachal Pradesh and arrivals from Punjab are among the highest.

In view of the bandh called by the Akal Takt in Punjab yesterday, the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation did not ply any bus to Punjab, where it daily runs its buses on some 300 routes.

"The overall tourist arrivals to Shimla have reduced by at least 10 per cent in the past week due to the Dera Sacha clashes and will drop further if it is not resolved," said Rajiv Madan, general secretary of the Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Similar fears have been expressed by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), which has hotels and restaurants across the hill state.