After a break of six months, hotels in Kullu and Manali reopened on October 1. The Hoteliers Association Kullu-Manali had taken a decision to keep the properties closed till September 30 although the Himachal Pradesh government had relaxed ban on entry of tourists within the state borders.
According to the reports, the reason behind delay in reopening the hotels was their demand for basic infrastructure like COVID testing facilities and a COVID care centre in Manali.
Anup Thakur, president of Hoteliers Association Kullu-Manali, told a news website that about 50 percent hotels have reopened on October 1, and the remaining will also reopen very soon.
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He also said that inquiries for room booking are pouring in after the government reopened state borders for outsiders. Since the winter season is approaching, the hotels in Kullu-Manali are expecting increase in tourist bookings.
Due to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Atal tunnel on Saturday, October 3, a lot of VIPs had been staying in Manali, Kullu and Lahaul town.