Manali-The Switzerland of India

A very popular tourist destination in northern India and also a hill station town in Himachal Pradesh filled with plenty of panorama is Manali, located some 540 kilometres from Delhi. It is a popular hideout of the tourists from the scorching heat of the plains of North India during the summer months.

The cool climate, plenty of tourist spots, temples, lively resorts, star rated hotel, well knit transportation facilities and the availability of a good number of adventure activities attracts Indian as well as international tourists for vacations to the town.

The town of Manali has seen a remarkable growth in the number of the tourist visiting the region. As per the statistics, in a decade the number of the tourists visiting Manali per year has increased from 13 lakh to 32 lakh. In order to manage the increase in the tourist numbers and to provide for the parking space for the vehicles that pour in the tourists, the Manali Municipal Council is ready to spend a budget of around 5 crores to add skyways. Manali has got a good prospect to develop the tourism as it has been the nearest escapade from the every year rising mercury of the Delhi and the neighbouring areas. According to the figures this year around 900 odd vehicles carrying the tourists were said to cross the green tax barrier which serves as the gateway to Manali.

The government of Himachal Pradesh is very much conscious about the growth of the tourism in the region and hence the transportation sector has been given a very high priority in the 12th five year plan. The Leh-Manali road which is a vital all weather road is a under construction and is proposed to be completed by the year 2015.

Topped by marvellous destination, the fairs and the festivals are another reason for the attraction of the tourists. The winter festival is a major event that lures the tourist with its traditional colors of dance and various fun programmes. The festival is held in the months of January and has been attracting good crowds from far and near.

The scheme of “home stay” launched by the Himachal government back in the year 2008 has paid huge benefits from Manali. It was introduced to provide an alternative accommodation in the rural areas to the tourists during the tourist season when it may be hard to find space in the hotels. It has helped a lot to ease the tourist traffic in the urban areas and also been successfully generating income and opportunities to the rural sites in Manali. This is helping not only the tourists but also the local people as they are exempted from paying luxury taxes and also charged domestic rates for the electricity and the water connections.

It is seen that the leap in the tourist numbers is significant but it is to be noted that the number of the nights spent by the international tourists is less than even two nights. Hence it is seen that newer entertainment avenues should come up here in Manali to keep the foreigners hooked. The major portion of the international tourist that come to Manali come for a bike tour and hence the roads and hiring bikes at comfortable rates should be looked into.