HIMACHAL PRADESH

1 Tourism Scenario Himachal is situated in the heart of western Himalayas. Jammu and Kashmir in the North, Uttaranchal in the Southeast borders the state. Haryana in the South and Punjab in the West. Himachal is located between 30022' and 30012' north latitude and between 75047' and 7904' east longitude. Shimla, a beautiful serene city, is the state capital. Himachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state of the Republic of India on January 25, 1971. 1.1 The People Most of the population of Himachal Pradesh is Hindu and Buddhist and people speak Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English and the local Pahari dialects. The people lead a simple life and are very religious. The major tribes include the Gadis, Gujaris, Kinnauris, Lahulis, and Pangwalis. 1.2 Transportation / Connectivity a) Road Despite problems in constructing new roads and maintaining them, most of the important places in the state are connected with a good road network. Some of the roads are closed during the winter and monsoon seasons due to the heavy snowfall and landslides that occur regularly in this region. b) Rail Only few places in Himachal Pradesh are connected by trains, as the construction of new lines are very difficult in the rugged, high altitude regions. The longest railway line is from Pathankot in Punjab to Jogindernagar in Himachal Pradesh. Other railway tracks touch Shimla, Solan, and Una. c) Air The state has three airports at Bhuntar, Gaggal, and Jubbarhatti, which connect the state to Delhi and Chandigarh via regular flights by Indian Airlines. There is no international airport in Himachal Pradesh. 1.3 Tourist arrival in Himachal Pradesh
Table: Tourist inflow in Himachal Pradesh

Tourists 2001 2002 2003 2004 Domestic 5211772 4958917 5543414 6345069 Foreign 135760 144383 167902 204344 Total 53,47,532 51,03,300 57,11,316 5549413
Source: India Tourism Statistics, 2003

The major Tourist spots in Himachal Pradesh can be categorized into the following:
Table 3.8: Tourism in Himachal Pradesh S. No. Type of tourism Places 1 Hill tourism Barog, Chail, Chamba, Chamonda Devi, Dalhousie,Hamirpur, Dharamsala, Joginder Nagar, Kangra,Kinnaur, Khajjiar , Kasauli, Kufri , Kullu, Lahaul &Spiti, Manali, McleodGanj, Mandi, Narkanda,Palampur, Parwanoo, Renukaji, Shimla , Solan 2 Religious tourism Baijnath, Manikaran, Poanta Sahib, Hatkoti, Masrur,Renuka, Dharamsala , Jawalamukhi, Nahan 3 Heritage tourism Lord Elgin's Memorial (Shimla), Maharaja's Palace(Shimla), Padam Palace, Vice Regal Lodge, RangMahal (Chamba), Tabo Monastery (Spiti) 4 Wild life tourism Great Himalayan National Park (Kullu), Pin Valley Park (Lahaul Spiti), Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary(Khajjiar, Chamba), Bandli Sanctuary (Mandi),Nature Parks (Shimla), Churdhar