Winter holiday business marred by low snowfall

Traders at tourist hotspots suffer losses as season ends with minimal snowfall

RAWALPINDI:

Due to extremely low and almost negligible snowfall this year in Murree and other hill stations, the business community, hotels and dry fruit traders have suffered complete devastation, resulting in losses of billions of rupees invested for the snowfall season.

The Murree snowfall season has officially been declared over from February 15. With Ramadan expected to begin in the third week of February, investors from other cities will leave Murree about 10 days before Ramazan.

The reopening of schools, colleges and universities across Punjab on Monday, January 19, has also started negatively affecting the snowfall season.

High transport fares to, expensive food items and high hotel rents have played a central role in destroying the snowfall season. Hotels, restaurants and guest houses in Murree are almost empty.

Traditionally, the snowfall season i begins on December 20 and peaks between December 20 and January 15.

During winter vacations, families from Gujrat, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Lahore, Sargodha and Multan would flood Murree. However, this year snowfall started 10 to 12 days late and remained very light.

Despite an additional week of holidays, hill stations failed to attract tourist numbers seen over the past 50 years. Large investors from Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala and Faisalabad had made heavy investments ahead of the season, all of which suffered losses due to fewer tourist families.

This year, tourist families visiting Murree declined by a record 50 to 52 per cent. Families from Rawalpindi and Islamabad either avoided Murree or returned the same day.

There was no window-breaking rush in hotels or guest houses, with vacant rooms still available everywhere. Chairlift crowds were also absent, and the Rs700 fare further discouraged families.

Tourists complained of rampant inflation. Tourist Kamil Hassan said prices of children's activities such as horse riding, shooting games and dodging cars increased by 100 per cent.

A boiled egg costs Rs100, a desi boiled egg Rs200, coffee Rs350 per cup on Mall Road, tea Rs200, and soup Rs300 to Rs400.

Previously, a family of four could complete a Murree snowfall trip — including transport, two nights' hotel stay, food and moderate entertainment — within Rs50,000. This cost has now surged to Rs250,000. The Murree Price Control Committee has failed to regulate food prices, while entertainment fees have increased by 100 per cent.