Natural calamities coupled with rumours on social media hits tourist arrival in Himachal

Shimla, Jul 9 (PTI) Besides claiming lives and damaging properties, cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in several parts of Himachal have also hit the tourism industry hard in the state.
     The rumours on social media platforms have further worsened the situation, as tourists are avoiding even those parts of the state that have not been affected by any disaster.
    Himachal, which relies heavily on tourism, is witnessing a drop in occupancy rates compared to previous years.
    "The occupancy, which was 29 per cent in the first week of July in 2024, dropped to 21 per cent in 2025," said Rajiv Kumar, managing director, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), on Wednesday.
    The HPTDC, hoteliers, and travel agents are claiming that on social media, weather warnings issued for some isolated areas are being presented as if they were issued for the whole state. This is affecting hoteliers and travel agencies alike, they lamented.
     To counter this, the HPTDC is offering up to 40 per cent discounts in its hotel for the period between July 15 and September 12 to attract tourists and arrest the slump, Kumar said, adding that this is the main tourist season in tribal areas of Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Pangi-Bharmour and any disruption in traffic affects tourism.
     Shimla Hotels and Restaurants Vice President Prince Kukreja said there has not been much rain in Shimla for the past 10 days, and roads are open. However, the "alerts" on social media are instilling fear in tourists, who are cancelling their bookings, Kukreja pointed out.
     Travel Agent Dheeraj Shashi said the current monsoon season has severely impacted tourism, with 80 per cent of bookings cancelled in the first week of July.
     He appealed to the tourists to ignore the misinformation on social media and seek correct information from authorised sources.
     Heavy damage was caused in Mandi district last week after cloud bursts, flash floods, and landslides wreaked havoc in the area, and there were isolated cases of mishaps due to the monsoon season in other parts of the state.
     So far, since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 9, the Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of about Rs 740 crore and 54 rain-related deaths have been reported in the state as per the state emergency operation centre.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)