Similar concerns were echoed by those in the tourism industry in places like Munsyari, Uttarkashi, Kausani, Khirsu and Lansdowne.

Owners of several hotels, homestays and trekking agencies in Uttarakhand, who were already reeling under heavy economic losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, say that bad weather conditions, frequent landslides and panic among people due to such occurrences over the last few weeks, have dealt a body blow to the tourism sector in Uttarakhand, leading to many tourism ventures being on the verge of closure.

Speaking to TOI, Pramod Kumar, a hotel owner in Mukteshwar near Nainital, said that tourist numbers in hill stations were “very good till the first week of August but since then, numerous landslides in and around Nainital have scared away people.” “We have only seen cancellations since the past few weeks. The situation was expected to improve this week but now, schools in Delhi-NCR have opened up and not many families are willing to travel,” Kumar said.

Munesh Bhatt, owner of a homestay in Joshimath in the Garhwal hills, who organises treks to the Valley of Flowers and other spots, alleged that for several weeks now, he has not received a single query from tourists. “Monsoons are anyway lean season for us but people do come to visit the Valley of Flowers in August since it is the blooming period for most of the flowers. However, visuals of landslides on Char Dham Yatra routes have scared tourists and even we tell them not to travel if there is forecast of rain,” he added.

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