Shimla records 50-60 per cent occupancy on New Year's Eve. Internet is divided

The occupancy in Shimla was about 50-60 per cent which is the lowest in the last 40 years and even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prediction of snow over the weekend and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's directions not to be harsh with drunk revelers on New Year led to a lukewarm response from tourists to Shimla, which recorded 50-60 per cent occupancy, "the lowest in the last 40 years".

The low occupancy rate of visitors to the hill town captured the attention of social media users as well, who were left divided as to why the decline had happened.

After pandemic utilized remote working to combine work and vacation, hence last two years tourism was in high . Now work from office started things are different https://t.co/ALmeggxHU4

— MohanV (@vmohan388) January 1, 2024

Shimla Sees Record 40-Year Drop In Hotel Occupancy On New Year's Eve

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Reason is outrageous cost of air fare. Thanks to monopoly of @IndiGo6E & incompetency of CCI. https://t.co/KFSoRYSvs5 via @ndtv — Ashis kar (@ashiskar02) December 31, 2023

While, the Mall Road and The Ridge in the heart of the city are abuzz with tourists as winter carnival turned the place into a fair with lights and cultural bonanza being organised but tourist footfall has not converted in room occupancy in hotels, said Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association president M K Seth.

"We are surprised to see such a drop in tourist inflow when all the things are favourable. This is the lowest occupancy in my living memory" he said.

The occupancy is about 50-60 per cent which is the lowest in the last 40 years and even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourist rush on New Year was more than this time, he told the PTI.

Thank you South East Asian countries for Visa free for indians

Shimla Sees Record 40-Year Drop In Hotel Occupancy On New Year's Eve https://t.co/F3du0ICRvP — Ketul Parmar (@KetuParmar5) December 31, 2023

About 7,600 tourists vehicles from other states have entered Shimla via the Shoghi barrier on the Shimla-Chandigarh Road from Saturday morning (8 am) to Sunday afternoon (12 pm), SP Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.

(With inputs from PTI).