Less than expected number of visitors in hill station this year
Monday, 01 January 2024 | AFZAL FAUJI | NAINITAL
Tourists arrived in large numbers to celebrate the New Year in Nainital on Sunday. Most of the hotels in the city were packed while the parking was also full of tourist vehicles. The arrival of tourists in the morning was comparatively less but the numbers started rising as the day progressed. The popular tourist spots in the city were crowded with visitors. With various hotels offering packages of two to three days with entertainment programmes, events continued till late in the night in various hotels. Along with entertainment programmes, live musical shows and dances kept the tourists busy during the celebrations. Colourful programmes were organised in hotels including Shervani Hilltop, Nainirit, Swiss Hotel and Vikram Vintage Balrampur House and other establishments. The prominent hotels in the city were decorated based on different themes on the occasion. Local artistes along with singers from Delhi and Mumbai entertained the visitors in various hotels. The Nainital hotel and restaurant association illuminated parts of the city with colourful lights. The association head Digvijay Singh Bisht said that arrangements had also been made to play music from speakers on the Mall Road for keeping the tourists entertained. The number of tourists this time was less than expected, he added.
Meanwhile, the police had made elaborate arrangements to manage the traffic and maintain the law and order on the occasion. The circle officer (City) Vibha Dikshit said that adequate police force had been deployed to manage the traffic and order in the city. Tourists’ vehicles coming from Rusi bypass, Narayannagar and Bhawali Road were not stopped by the authorities. The taxi union head P Tiwari said that during the New Year celebrations this time, there was no need to transport tourists from parking spots to the city by shuttle service. This was because there were not enough tourists. The business of the taxi owners and operators was adversely affected because the shuttle service was not operated, he added.
