Mussoorie reigns as Queen of Hills
27 Mar 2008
By Raju Gusain
THE QUEEN of the Hills, as Mussoorie is fondly known, has retained its status as the most popular hill station of the Indian Himalayas.
Despite a mere 1 per cent growth in last year, Mussoorie was ahead of Kullu- Manali, Shimla, Darjeeling, Nainital and Ladakh in the popularity charts. According to last years tourism data on Indias six most- visited hill stations in the Indian Himalayas, collected from state tourism departments, Mussoorie drew 20,95,823 tourists. Kullu- Manali followed with 20,65,078, Shimla with 17,55,828, Darjeeling with 6,78,190, Nainital with 589,516, and Ladakh with 50,185 tourists. The growth in weekend tourism has changed the face of the Queen of the Hills.
Writer Ruskin Bond, who has lived in Mussoorie, says, “ In the past, most tourists used to stay for a longer period, sometimes, even for three months. Royal families used to visit and stay for long, leisurely periods. But now, people generally visit the hill station during weekends. Till the 60s, the peak tourist season in Mussoorie used to be from April to October. But now it is an allyear- round destination.†But Mussoorie does not have a growth record to match. Darjeeling made the most impressive growth among hill stations in the Indian Himalayas. While the town in West Bengal showed 32 per cent growth in 2007, Ladakh saw a growth of 15 per cent, Shimla 6 per cent and Kullu- Manali and Nainital 5 per cent each. In comparison, Mussoories 1 per cent growth was well below expectations.
Subhash Goyal, former president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, says, “ Mussoorie attracts a big crowd as it is located near New Delhi. After the formation of a separate state — Uttarakhand — the hill station has started getting additional visitors. People visiting Dehra Dun, usually visit Mussoorie, too. In the 50s, the annual turn out of visitors in Mussoorie used to be below 2 lakh. Now, it has grown tenfold to cross 20 lakh.
The splendours of Mussoorie — a captivating view of the snow- capped Himalayas, stunning sights of the Doon valley, walks down Mall Road and a ropeway ride to Gun Hill — make it one of the hottest weekend destinations. The tourist season used to last for months from May to July and October- November between 1950 and 1979. But after 1984, things changed drastically and the tourism season began to expand. The last eight years have recorded over 50,000 visitors each month, thus making Mussoorie a round the year tourist destination. ON A HIGH: Mussoorie has become a favourite weekend destination for tourists from Delhi, UP and Haryana.
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