Allocate special budget for boosting tourist places in Shimla: Tourism body

There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in and around Shimla, the Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association (TISHA) said in a release here today.

"The stay of tourists in Shimla has decreased to one day. The decrease in stay of tourists and steep fall in inflow of the tourists in Shimla is a matter of great concern, " TISHA President Mohinder Seth said in a release.

"There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in & around Shimla, to create wayside amenities on the highways and for publicity of tourist activities available in and around every tourist destination of Himachal," he said in the release.

The existing places of tourist interest in Shimla are very old and require additional tourist attractions and activities to hold the tourist in Shimla for additional two to three days, the release said.

"Creation of parkings exclusively for tourists in every cluster of hotels. The existing paid parkings are not sufficient to cater the needs of tourists because around 40 to 50% of the capacity is hardly available to the tourists," added the release.

Highlighting the need to create charging points for E-vehicles, Mohinder said, "There are hardly any side amenities available on the highways and at the places of tourist interest. There is a need to construct modern wash rooms and charging points for E-vehicles on the highways as well as at the tourist places in and around Shimla".

Clean Street food hubs are required to be created on the Highways and at the places of tourist interest and the existing food outlets need to be improved, the release added.

"There is a need to have special publicity budget provisions for publicizing the places of tourist interest available in and around each tourist destination. This will help in increasing the stay of tourists at every tourist destination," the TISHA said.

"There is also a need to allocate special provisions in the budget for the above points. This will benefit the tourism stakeholders and help in increasing the government revenue," further read the release.