The scare thrown by the Uttarakhand disaster coupled with frivolousMet office forecasts of heavy rainfall have driven tourists away fromHimachal Pradesh's picturesque tourist destinations.

To make matters worse, mild tremors have been experienced in the state one after another in the past one month.

As a result, tourist-footfalls have fallen by more than 70 percent compared to the previous years during this month and the occupancy of hotels has plummeted, say members of the hospitality industry.

"The meteorological office has been forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state since the last fortnight but rainfall has been normal," Harnam Kukreja, president of the Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association, told IANS. He said this has created a fear psychosis among tourists.

"Since the Uttarakhand disaster (June 17), tourists - especially foreigners - have started following the weather office alerts seriously," he said, adding that most bookings have been cancelled.

Tourists are giving hill stations like Shimla, Kasauli, Kufri, Narkanda, Manali, Dalhousie, Palampur and Dharamsala a miss.

Manali Travel Agents Association president Anil Sharma said most of the tourists, mainly foreigners, are heading to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

"From July to September, Manali and its nearby destinations get a good number of foreigners for adventure-related activities. This time, the closure of National Highway 22 at several points for over a month due to flash-floods (in Kinnaur district) has led to the slowdown in tourist arrivals," Kukreja said.

Backpackers, especially from the US, Britain, Italy, France and Germany, come to Manali every year during this period for adventure-related activities like trekking, rock-climbing and cross-jungle trekking.

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