KULLU: In the cool climes of Kullu Valley, hoteliers and homestay owners are glued to news streaming out of the conflict, their worry rising as the war expands. The question on their minds: will Israeli tourists come this summer?Israeli backpackers are the bread-and-butter of the hospitality industry in these parts, and if the war drags on into summer, the Kullu economy will suffer collateral damage.
Israelis usually visit from May to Aug – their preferred locations being Kasol, Pulga, Kalga, and Tosh of Parvati valley, the Old Manali area, and Dharamkot, also called “mini-Israel”, near Dharamshala.Very few Israelis are in Kullu and Kangra districts of Himachal currently. “The few who are here have stayed for a long time,” said Ram Lal, who runs a guest house in Pulga village in Parvati valley.“Most Israelis arrive in Kasol at the beginning of summer and leave by Oct,” said Ranjit, who runs a hotel.According to Manali DSP KD Sharma, Chabad House, a Jewish community in Manali, has been closed since Oct.Bhuvnesh Thakur, a Manali-based search-and-rescue expert, who is also in the tourism business, fears a prolonged war could result in losses to the tourism industry.
