Advance weather forecast scares tourists

MANALI: Snowfall has not been tempting tourists to Manali this season. Unlike previous years when just a forecast of snowfall used to bring tourists to Manali, not many people are visiting the hill town this year to experience nature at its best. Hoteliers and travel agents have accused Himachal police of spreading fear among tourists in December when tourists were advised to stay away after hundreds of people were stranded due to heavy snowfall.
Snowfall on hill stations is considered a boon for tourism, but tourists are maintaining a distance from Manali this season. Though January to March are the off-season months with hotel occupancy of around 50%, most of hotels have less than 5% occupancy these days. Hoteliers claim tourists are being too cautious and every forecast of snow is being taken as if a storm was hitting Manali.
Ram Prakash, an hotelier, said, "We saw unprecedented surge in winter tourism last year when tourists were dying to get a glimpse of snow. This year my hotel has been empty." Manali Tourism Stakeholders Association president Gajender Thakur said people in plains were still terrified to visit Manali since snowfall of December 13 when a police official had issued an irresponsible press release where tourists were advised to avoid visiting Manali for few days. "This is strange that not much tourists are taking interest in seeing beautiful landscapes even after three spells of snowfall. The weather is pleasant and authorities have made all arrangements to tackle even very heavy snowfall. But unlike other states, Himachal government is not showing any interest in advertising tourism," he said.
Advance weather forecast was harming tourism industry by mentioning terms like snowstorm, heavy snowfall and high alert warnings, according to Thakur. "People see weather forecast online. Online weather channels like AccuWeather and Weather Underground are most trusted by people but many times they show snowstorm and heavy snowfall in Manali unnecessarily."