"Tourism infrastructure in Himachal is the same as it was 20 years back. There is an increase in number of tourists but the amenities are almost same as they used to be years back," rue tourism entrepreneurs in the state. Disgruntled residents who are linked to tourism industry say neither are they able to satisfy the tourists with available infrastructure nor can they encash the natural advantage the state has in tourism in a proper way.
"Tourists are fed up with the same old destinations, same narrow roads, same parking problem and congested resorts. Our politicians promise to develop Himachal as a top tourist destination of the country but reality is quite opposite," said hotelier Mohan Singh. He said they have nothing new to show to their guests. "We have repeated clients who claim to have seen all the tourist destinations many times. They complain that condition of our roads and other infrastructure is same as years ago," he said.
Hoteliers claim that they credit their own efforts for growth in tourism in the state, otherwise government did nothing to promote tourism. Another hotelier Yograj Thakur said, "While other states are spending crores of rupees in advertisement of their tourism, our government is not interested in spending money on a sector which has generated employment for lakhs of people here."
The state government is not putting serious efforts for better and regular air connectivity, many major bridges of Himachal are waiting to be completed or renovated and parking facilities too few, claim entrepreneurs. "Himachal has potential to draw constant number of tourists all the year but the government is not serious. Real beauty of the state is hidden behind the mountains but our politicians are only showing dreams of adding new destinations for years," said Vijay Kumar, a travel agent from Mandi.
Tourism is one of the largest sources of revenue for Himachal government and thousands of people have generated self-employment in tourism. Over 99% of the tourists reach Himachal by surface transport and condition of roads in the state has not improved for years. Surprisingly, Shimla-Jalori Pass-Kullu road, which is important for tourism, is same as it was built by the British before independence.
According to data from the Himachal tourism department, number of domestic and foreign tourists is constantly increasing by 5 to 10% every year. But unchanged infrastructure of the state is unable to handle the growth in number of tourists. Hoteliers here claim that they are spending lakhs of rupee on advertisements for their survival and are getting almost no support from the government. Meanwhile, all the political parties are again demanding votes from the tourism fraternity by promising better tourism facilities if they are elected.
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