The Manali-Atal tunnel highway has been closed for all vehicles following the snowfall in the upper parts of Himachal on Wednesday. The IMD has predicted widespread snowfall in most parts of the state in the next 48 hours. The entire Lahaul-Spiti district is receiving snow but the accumulation rate is too low. Keylong has received just 5cm of snow while Koksar and Sissu recorded 12cm and 7cm snowfall respectively. Jispa, Darcha and the north portal of the Atal tunnel have also donned a white blanket. Kaza, Kibber, Losar and almost all places in Spiti are also receiving snow. Parts of Kinnaur and the upper parts of Chamba district are also receiving fresh snow. South portal of Atal tunnel near Manali received nearly 10cm of snow while snowfall had begun at Solang valley in the evening time. Rohtang pass, Kunzum, Shinkula and Baralacha are experiencing heavy snowfall where fresh snow accumulation is expected to be more than 30cm. With a fresh layer of snow making the highway slippery at Dhundi, the administration has stopped all kinds of traffic movement towards the Atal tunnel beyond Solang. The administration has asked tourists not to take any risk and move to safe places. Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Sumit Khimta said a travel advisory has been issued following snowfall and low visibility. “The Manali-Keylong highway via Atal tunnel will remain closed till further order. Tourists and local residents are advised to plan travel only after ensuring weather and road conditions. Tourists in Lahaul are advised to stay at safe places until snowfall stops,” he said. Kullu deputy commissioner Ashutosh Garg said all the officials have been asked to remain available and ready with machinery as an alert regarding snowfall has been issued by the IMD. “People should plan their travels only if it’s important. Tourists should
The Manali-Atal tunnel highway has been closed for all vehicles following the snowfall in the upper parts of Himachal on Wednesday. The IMD has predicted widespread snowfall in most parts of the state in the next 48 hours. The entire Lahaul-Spiti district is receiving snow but the accumulation rate is too low. Keylong has received
If you are in party or holiday mood to celebrate Christmas and New Year Eve with your family or friends, but you are not able to decide on a location to chill, you should just pack your bags and head to the Himachal where you can choose one of the dozens of beautiful locations that are ready to host you for the holiday season. With all tourist destinations of Himachal expected to remain jam-packed from December 24 to January 1 during Christmas and New Year Eve, the state is gearing up to welcome guests from all around the country. Most hotels are booked completely in advance and taxis and tourist buses are in huge demand these days. The hotel occupancy has already reached close to 40 per cent which is expected to remain above 75 per cent from December 24 onwards. Most of the good hotels in Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Kasol and other popular tourist places are already booked till the new year. New tourist destination Lahaul valley has also good booking. Over one hundred luxury tourist buses from Delhi are reaching Himachal every day besides taxis and private cars. Given the current booking trends, hoteliers are expecting record tourist footfall. While increasing cases of Covid-19 is a matter of concern, the possibility of fresh snowfall after Christmas may help in increasing the footfall. A fresh wave of western disturbance is expected to hit the western Himalayas from December 25 onwards. Gajender Thakur, president of the Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Association, said, tourist footfall in the state is increasing as tourists are heading to the hills in the holiday mood. “The peak tourist season will be from December 24 to January 1. Hotels are reporting good bookings. However, some hotels have average bookings. No snowfall in the last
If you are in party or holiday mood to celebrate Christmas and New Year Eve with your family or friends, but you are not able to decide on a location to chill, you should just pack your bags and head to the Himachal where you can choose one of the dozens of beautiful locations that
On this page, we shall keep you updated about the latest Himachal Tourism trends, Himachal Tourism news, views from hoteliers and travel agents and tour guides and packages of Himachal Pradesh. 2,000 tourists stranded in 500 vehicles rescued from Atal tunnel Updated on December 30, 2022 Nearly 500 vehicles carrying over 2,000 tourists that were stranded at Atal tunnel following snowfall were rescued in the late night operations that lasted for eight hours from 5pm to 1am on Thursday. A large number of tourist vehicles were stranded at both south and north portals of Atal tunnel following snowfall which made the road slippery on Thursday afternoon. While vehicles from north side were sent towards south side, vehicles started skidding on the steep road between the tunnel and Dhundi nullah, causing a long traffic jam. The vehicles eventually got stuck. Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti police helped the tourists and drivers in getting their vehicles to safe places. The last vehicle was sent towards Solang valley at about 1am. As many as 5,640 vehicles carrying tourists had entered Lahaul valley from Manali via Atal tunnel on Thursday to see snow and snowfall. 5,548 vehicles exited the tunnel towards Manali from Thursday 8am to Friday 8am. As the snow started accumulating on the road surface, vehicles started skidding and it became very difficult to drive by late evening. While some people, mostly local taxi drivers, managed to negotiate through the steep curves between the tunnel and Dhundi nullah, hundreds of other vehicles got stuck when many vehicles skid on the road and jammed it. Although the administration stopped traffic towards Atal tunnel, it was already too late. Lahaul-Spiti police started sending vehicles from Lahaul towards Manali. However, they could not move ahead due to traffic congestion at south portal of the tunnel where cops
On this page, we shall keep you updated about the latest Himachal Tourism trends, Himachal Tourism news, views from hoteliers and travel agents and tour guides and packages of Himachal Pradesh. 2,000 tourists stranded in 500 vehicles rescued from Atal tunnel Updated on December 30, 2022 Nearly 500 vehicles carrying over 2,000 tourists that were
As the world is observing International Mountain Day 2020 on Friday with the theme Mountain Biodiversity, the Himalayan mountains in Himachal are breathing freely, at least this year, due to Coviv-19 pandemic. According to the UN, environmental changes have posed great challenges to the mountain people around the world who are dependent on the mountains for livelihood. While precious flora and fauna in the mountains witnessed least human disturbance this year, scientists claimed that Covid-19 imposed lockdown helped unprecedented growth of the flora at many Himalayan regions.Meanwhile, with almost no commercial mountaineering activities this year, the livelihood of thousands of people is at stake. Meanwhile, with almost no commercial mountaineering activities this year, the livelihood of thousands of people is at stake. The mountaineering industry of Himachal, which includes climbing expeditions to peaks, long and short treks, rock climbing and day hiking, is paused since March when nationwide lockdown was imposed. The peak mountaineering activities begin in May and last till November.A large number of foreigners also visit the state for these eco-friendly activities. This year mountains had a pin-drop silence. There was no one to climb the peaks, no new attempts were made to climb virgin peaks, and there were no trekking or rock climbing activities. A large number of foreigners also visit the state for these eco-friendly activities. This year mountains had a pin-drop silence. There was no one to climb the peaks, no new attempts were made to climb virgin peaks, and there were no trekking or rock climbing activities. According to Adventure Tour Operators Association president Roshan Thakur, thousands of people including operators, guides, porters, cooks and helpers are associated with this industry only from Himachal.“Most of them could not earn a single rupee this year. Some of us restarted work in October but it was
As the world is observing International Mountain Day 2020 on Friday with the theme Mountain Biodiversity, the Himalayan mountains in Himachal are breathing freely, at least this year, due to Coviv-19 pandemic. According to the UN, environmental changes have posed great challenges to the mountain people around the world who are dependent on the mountains
The professionals, including doctors, from the USA have made Himachal a new hotspot to practice Ayurveda, the century-old ancient healthcare tradition of India, giving boost to the local tourism. A large number of Indian Ayurveda doctors in America are contributing in motivating Americans to adopt Ayurveda and yoga to heal their body and Dr Naina Marballi is one of them. Born in Mumbai, Dr Naina runs Ayurveda’s World, one of the oldest Ayurveda centres of New York City’s since 1998. Her centre is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) to provide Ayurveda study programs. From Hollywood celebrities to doctors and businessmen, a large number of Americans are pursuing Ayurveda with help of Naina. She brings her students to Himachal for study programs and her students further teach this ancient system of medicine to their students. “India has already become a wellness centre of the world. Himachal has the capability of becoming the national wellness capital due to its pleasant weather and scenic locations. I bring 34 students at a time and most of them are from America,” Naina said, adding that half of them are repeated students who wanted to visit India again and again. “The atmosphere of Manali which is perfect to study Ayurveda has left an unforgettable impression on my students. The students also practice yoga and they chant Sanskrit mantras.” Maria Elena Rumayor, a student from the US, said what can be the better place to learn Ayurveda other than India where Ayurveda evolved in ancient time. “I was excited to see Himalayas and study here. It’s beautiful. Ayurveda and yoga have impressed me a lot. Ayurvedic and herbal medicines ensure physical and mental health without any side effect. I have many reasons to choose Ayurveda,” she said. According to Alexandra Martynova, the only
The professionals, including doctors, from the USA have made Himachal a new hotspot to practice Ayurveda, the century-old ancient healthcare tradition of India, giving boost to the local tourism. A large number of Indian Ayurveda doctors in America are contributing in motivating Americans to adopt Ayurveda and yoga to heal their body and Dr Naina
Bollywood star Sunny Deol’s dream project “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” featuring his son Karan Deol is set to showcase entire Manali, the adventure sports, its people, local artists, and the scenic beauty on the silver screen globally on September 20. While the movie has provided a platform to the local actors, Himachal is expecting a boom in the tourism industry. Sunny, who has been planning to set up a film city in Manali and has close relation with the local people, had committed to make a big-budget Bollywood movie totally based in Manali. From the lead roles to supporting actors, most of the star cast of Sunny directed PPDKP is from Himachal, particularly from Manali. As the theme of the movie is based on adventure sports of Manali that brings Karan close to lead actress Sahher Bambba, the state is expecting a boom in the tourism industry after the release of the film. Sunny has chosen lead actress Sahher Bambba from Himachal. However, according to Sunny, auditions for hunt for lead actress took place in many cities and he did not know that the girl belongs to Himachal until Sahher Bambba was shortlisted. The second lead role is performed by Manali girl Ritika Thakur. Kapil Negi, who runs an adventure travel company in Manali, is also in a major role who is a friend of Karan’s father and later his mentor after his father’s death. A large portion of the film is shot at Shaleen village near Manali and Sunny has given the opportunity to a large number of villagers to show their acting skills. Himachali song “Mera Bhola Hai Bhandari” fame Hansraj Raghuvanshi is given the opportunity to sing “Adha Bhi Jyada” song of the movie. The viewers of the movie will hear a large number of Kulluvi words
Bollywood star Sunny Deol’s dream project “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” featuring his son Karan Deol is set to showcase entire Manali, the adventure sports, its people, local artists, and the scenic beauty on the silver screen globally on September 20. While the movie has provided a platform to the local actors, Himachal is expecting
A national level seminar on the theme of Energy Conservation in Hotel Industry was organized under collective efforts of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany and Manali Tourism Stakeholders' Association in Manali on Saturday. Regional director of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dilip Sharma said that conservation of energy is a need of hour and we need to save energy for our next generation. Talking about the hotel industry of Himachal, he said that hotels consume large portion of the energy in Himachal and 20 per cent expenses of the hotels are by unnecessarily use of water heaters, boilers, air conditioning systems, refrigeration, heaters, pumps and motors. “Use of solar energy is the best alternative that can bring down the expenses and also save the limited sources of energy,” he said. Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) deputy director SN Singh said that our country is spending billions of dollars on importing petroleum products from abroad which is severely impacting our economy. “Motive of this seminar is to spread a message that people should use energy but the most important thing is that how and when we should use energy to stop its unnecessary use.” Officials present in the seminar emphasized upon maximum use of solar energy. Manali sub-divisional magistrate Vinay Dhiman requested all the hoteliers to save energy wherever it is possible. He added that seminar is sending a positive message to the tourism industry to save energy and he said that more such seminars should be organized in future. Manali Tourism Stakeholders’ Association president Gajender Thakur thanked all the dignitaries from across the country to make this seminar a success. He also said that association will encourage hoteliers to use solar energy to save power and other energy sources. Officials from Oil and Natural
A national level seminar on the theme of Energy Conservation in Hotel Industry was organized under collective efforts of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany and Manali Tourism Stakeholders’ Association in Manali on Saturday. Regional director of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dilip Sharma said that conservation of energy is
