Dharamshala’s tourism and hospitality industry, which had seen sluggish footfall during the election period, will receive a boost as two Indian Premier League (IPL) matches are scheduled to be held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium. Are expected.
Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India, January 19: HPCA Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala with a story, Thursday, January 19, 2017, Dharamshala. HT File Photo {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed }}
Due to the election period, hotel occupancy rates in April were only around 30-40%, which was significantly lower than the normal occupancy rates seen in the same month.
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However, with the Punjab Kings scheduled to play two matches against Chennai Super Kings on May 5th and Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 9th, the hotel occupancy rate is expected to rise to around 80%. It is expected.
Hoteliers are also expecting crowds on the days from May 5 to 9 as they expect cricket lovers to spend a few days at Dharamshala.
Ashwani Bamba, president of Dharamshala Hotels Association, said, “The hotel receives inquiries every day and up to 60-65 per cent of the hotels are already pre-booked.” We believe hotel occupancy on game day will be up to 90% for hotels close to the stadium and up to 80% for hotels located at higher elevations. ”
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“Many cricket lovers have not got their tickets. Therefore, the situation will become clear in the next few days. In major hotels (5 stars), between May 5th and 9th, “We expect occupancy to continue to hover around 80%, while other hotels will remain at around 60% during this period,” he added.
According to hoteliers, the occupancy rate in the last two weeks of April was usually about 70%, but this year it was about 40% due to the release of the Sabah state poll.
Ashish Bruta, who runs a hotel in Dharamshala, said he has been receiving a lot of inquiries these days. “The response from visitors has been huge, with 95 per cent of rooms already sold out during match days. Hotel occupancy is expected to be higher in the lower part of Dharamshala compared to the upper part.” he stated.
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The tour and travel industry is also expecting an increase in business on upcoming match days in Dharamshala. Varun Thakur, president of Dharamshala Taxi Union, said, “Though we witnessed a slight dip in performance after the announcement of elections in April, we are expecting good performance on match days in the city.” We are also receiving inquiries. ”
Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings team will arrive in Dharamshala on Thursday while Chennai Super Kings are expected to arrive on Friday.
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News / Cities / Chandigarh / IPL: Dharamshala’s tourism industry braces for economic expansion even amid election slump
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