Rain havoc hits tourism in Uttarakhand

Incessant rains and resultant floods and landslides have badly affected adventure tourism in the state with tourists cancelling bookings for the hill state. "Tour operators are not taking any chances and have cancelled trips to Garwhal and Kumaon regions in the state at at request of tourists," Mandip Singh Soin, President of the Eco-Tourism Society of India, told.

He said some tourists are still stranded in upper reaches of Himalayas like Gangotri and Manali as landslides have blocked national highways. Suffering heavy losses due to cancellations, the tour operators, most of them from the UK, the USA, France and Australia, are keeping a constant track of the weather and praying for its improvement at the earliest. "In fact, one of my clients had to hire a helicopter in Dharasu region after she got stuck in Uttarkashi which is witnessing a flood-like situation with river Ganga fully swollen," said Soin, an owner of travel agency Ibex Expeditions.

Ravi Tickoo of Delhi-based Kash Venture Travels said "in view of floods and cloudbursts, we have advised our groups to return mid-way suggesting them alternative routes." Usually, the tour package comprises a range of adventure activities like river rafting, para-gliding, skiing, heli-skiing, mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing and cycling. He said after the cloudbursts in Ladakh, floods and unabated rains in Uttarakhand have taken a toll on their revenue.

The weather fury has hit-hard the resort owners too. The all-time favourite tourist destinations such as Almora, Rani Khet, Jolle Kote and Manali in Kumaon region have become out of bounds due to heavy rains and landslides.

"There has been booking cancellation for September. The arrival of tourists, especially foreigners, has certainly dropped as the rains are plentiful," Bieter Reed, owner of Kalmatia Sangam resort in Almora said. He said it is for the first time in the past 10 years he had witnessed such heavy rains and floods. At least 67 people have lost their lives and thousands rendered homeless in incessant rains during the past few days in Uttarakhand.