After Monsoon disaster Kangra valley and Shimla hills opened for tourist: Tourism director

Subsided air travel for Dharamsala –Shimla route

Dharamsala (Arvind Sharma )  5/9/23

The famous tourist state of Himachal, which experienced a devastating natural disaster during this year’s monsoon, is now gearing up to welcome tourists once again. Amit Kashyap, Director of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, announced that tourists can now travel to the beautiful tourist destinations in the Kangra Valley, such as Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Palampur, Dalhousie, Khajjiar, and Chamba. Additionally, tourists can explore the Shimla hills, including Kasauli, Shimla, Chail, Narkanda, and Kinnaur. Kashyap assured that the roads to these destinations are now open and safe for travel. Moreover, tourists can take advantage of special discounts offered by most hotels in the state during the current season.

In a press release issued today, Kashyap highlighted that the tourism sector contributes 7 percent to the state’s gross domestic product. Furthermore, it provides approximately 14.42 percent of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state.

Kashyap acknowledged that heavy rains had disrupted road travel in some parts of the state recently. However, with concerted efforts to restore the roads, tourists can now visit many areas of Himachal.

He also mentioned that the State Government has made significant strides in improving air connectivity. There is now air service available from Shimla to Dharamshala, with daily flights operated by Alliance Air from Delhi to Shimla and from Shimla to Dharamshala (Gaggal Airport).

Kashyap revealed that the state government is subsidizing the fare for all seats on the Shimla-Dharamshala-Shimla route. The total fare for this route has been set at Rs 3000 (excluding taxes) per seat. Additionally, under the UDAN scheme, helicopter service flights operated by Pawan Hans are available from Chandigarh to Shimla and from Shimla to Rampur, Mandi