Himachal's Dharamshala witness surge in foreign tourist footfall

Dharamshala, (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 13 : Dharamshala District Tourism Officer Vinay Dhiman said on Sunday that the number of foreign tourists arriving in Dharamshala has increased this year.
Speaking to ANI, Vinay Dhiman said that the footfall of foreign tourists is increasing to pre-Covid levels giving a boost to the tourism industry.
"Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh attracts a large number of tourists due to various reasons. Foreigners visit Dharamshala mainly for the teachings of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Some people go to Dharamshala for yoga wellness centres or to enjoy adventure sports like paragliding and trekking, some people come here for cricket, while some visit the city to enjoy nature's beauty," Dhiman said.
Dhiman said that there was a setback for the tourism industry worldwide during the Covid pandemic and the footfall has improved a lot in 2024 comparing that in 2020.
"In 2021, only 2,700 foreigners visited Kangra district, in 2022 the number increased to 6,500. There was a remarkable increase in 2023 with 16,222 foreign tourists and the data till August 24 is matching with the data of the previous year 2024. A total of 16,474 foreigners have been reported to visit here till August 2024 only," he said while speaking to ANI.
Dhiman highlighted several attractions in Dharamshala which beckon tourists and expressed hope that there will be a 25 per cent increase in foreigner tourists comparing last year.
"A large number of foreigners visit Dharamshala due to the teachings of Dalai Lama in September. About three months still left and there are a few more events like the paragliding World Cup in Bir Billing and a Pre-World Cup in Narwana in Kangra so many foreigners including pilots come here for these events. Many people visit here for wellness or yoga centres. So we hope that there will be an increase of about 25 per cent in foreigner tourists as compared to the last year. Even Israeli tourists are not coming due to the war but still, the number of tourists is on a higher end," he said.
Speaking to ANI, Mauli, an American tourist visiting Dharamshala said that he liked the culture in the region.
"I always wanted to come to India to see the culture and food the lifestyle here. Many people come here for spiritual reasons specifically for the Dalai Lama and it's my first day here in McLeodganj and I would love to go for trekking here in the Himalayas," Mauli said.
Another visitor from Russia highlighted the weather and views and said that he came "particularly for the teachings" of Dalai Lama.
"I came here, particularly for the teaching of the Dalai Lama. The weather is very suitable, good hotels and restaurants and it's quite convenient for us here. The views are very beautiful," the Russian tourist said.