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As the north Indian state await the onset of the monsoon, tourist inflow into Himachal Pradesh has increased, with room occupancy in hotels crossing 80 per cent during the weekends.state awaitsaverage occupancy over the last weekend was between 80-90 per cent, while on the weekdays, it is reaching between 60 and 70 per cent," Gajender Thakur, president of the Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations, told PTI on Tuesday.
"Our association is making tourists aware that they should abide by the local customs of Dev Bhoomi Himachal while enjoying the scenic beauty," he added.
Tourist destinations in the state like Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Kasauli and Chail have seen a rush, while tourists are also visiting tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur.
"Himachal offers all kinds of tourism -- from adventure tourism to religious tourism. However, traffic jams during the peak tourist season discourage tourists, and deploying an additional police force at bottlenecks could resolve the problem to some extent," Thakur said.
Referring to the recent incidents of altercations between tourists and locals in the state, he asserted that smooth traffic reduces quarrels, and heavy police deployment creates a sense of security and keeps anti-social elements in control.
So far, the majority of tourists visiting the state are from north India, while tourists from Gujarat and Maharashtra have not shown up in large numbers, according to him.
"The tourist rush is there, but quality tourists with spending capacity are not coming to Himachal," Ranjit, a salesman from a Shimla Mall Road shop, said.
A large number of vehicles are coming, and there is a huge crowd on the Mall Road, but the sales have not gone up, he added.
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