Within 10 days of reopening, more than 8,000 tourists flock in to Rishikesh for river rafting

Dehradun, Oct 06: With just ten days of the resumption of river rafting, more than 8,000 tourists have flocked in to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand to participate in adventure sports activity.

Speaking to reporters, Dinesh Bhatt, president of Rafting Association in Rishikesh said that Rishikesh alone recorded over 6,000 tourists coming in for river rafting in the last three days

"In the past ten days, since the Uttarakhand government allowed resumption of river rafting, Rishikesh has welcomed over 8,000 tourists, with almost 6,000 people coming to participate in river rafting in the past three days over the long weekend," Bhatt said.

He further added that the response has been well with business picking up, but the rafting companies are still facing minor losses while practicing physical distancing.

"Earlier, ten persons were allowed in a single raft, but now, only four tourists are going, with two guides in one raft. We have not increased our prices, so we are facing some loss, but safety is important for us," Bhatt said.

Dilip Jawalkar, secretary for tourism in Uttarakhand said adventure tourism is a major component in the state's overall tourism industry. "I am happy that our step towards resuming the adventure sports activities have achieved the desired results and has attracted a large number of adventure seekers to the state," the Uttarakhand tourism secretary said.

He added that while activities for tourists are being opened up, the state government expects full cooperation from all the stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of rules and guidelines to control the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state.