Kumarhatti: Even as the year-end celebrations are just round the corner the hotels in the area have geared up to counter the rush of tourists. While most people prepare to indulge in the binge of partying and revelry to mark Christmas and New Year, an inordinate number of mostly domestic tourists have already started making bookings in hotels to enjoy the year-end in soothing and noise free hilly heights.
Inquiries with hotels show that the places like Jabli, Barog and Kasauli are all set to witness heavy influx of tourists and revellers, though hill stations like Shimla, Kufri and Naldehra are the hot spots thanks to attraction of potential snowfall in last week of this month.
Denying terrorism attack on Mumbai could spell doom for tourism flow this time, the Tourism Officials say, most of the tourists preferring to be in hills during the year-end are from Delhi, Kolkatta, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Foreign tourists will start pouring in only in February, officials point out. Interestingly the government-run rest houses and forest rest houses in and around tourist resorts have already been sold out to its full capacity. The occupancy in hotels has too begun to rise gradually.
To cash on the celebrations, the most of the hotels have either announced attractive packages or in the process to announce. The hotel workers can be seen offering the tariff cards of the tourists visiting hills at Parwanoo local multi-purpose and the entrance of tourist hill resorts of Jabli, Barog and Kasauli.
Moreover the healthy tourist rush is also expected as by this time of year, hotels charge off-season tariff rates. The trouble in Kashmir can also be a blessing in disguise for the tourism potential in the state.
