Himachal to woo tourists with more treks

Shimla, Sep 5 (IANS) Aiming to woo adventure sport lovers, the Himachal Pradesh government is organising four-day treks in Kullu, Shimla and Kangra districts of the state from this month.

'The department of tourism is organising trekking expeditions in Kullu, Shimla and Kangra districts from Sep 15 for professionals, amateurs and students,' Principal Secretary (Tourism) Manisha Nanda told IANS.

The Manali-based Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, which conducts mountaineering expeditions, high-altitude treks and white-water rafting, will assist the tourism department in conducting the trekking expeditions, she said.

The trekking routes are Manali-Solang-Buckerthach-Beas Kund in Kullu district, Khara Pathar-Giriganga-Kupu-Jubbal in Shimla district and Dharamsala-Triund-Indrahara Pass in Kangra district.

According to the tourism department, over 75,000 tourists, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, have been to the Himalayan state over the past four months.

Himachal Pradesh, with a population of just over six million, attracted 9.37 million domestic and 367,000 foreign tourists last year. Kullu and Manali are the hotspots for tourists, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.