The weather has improved in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand which in turn has attracted even foreign tourists to the verdant valleys of the State.
The local hoteliers and other employed in the tourism sector are happy as this is the first time when tourists have started visiting the mountains of Uttarakhand after the disaster in June wreaked havoc in areas across the State.
In the couple of months following the disaster on June 16-17, tourists avoided visiting Uttarakhand, but the situation has started improving now. The first group of foreign tourists has arrived here at the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam rest house.
These tourists are presently visiting various tourist destinations and religious sites in the district. Apart from them, tourists have also started visiting Kwari Pass, Drongiri, Bagni, Roopkund and dozens of other trekking routes.
Albert from the Netherlands and Vancy from Australia who returned to Joshimath from the Kwari Pass trek said that they were in touch with local tour operators through the internet.
They left for Garhwal as soon as they learnt of the situation nearing normalcy here. The duo who has visited various places in India, said that nothing compares to the beauty of the Himalayas. Adventure guide Santosh Singh said that the disaster caused major loss to the business, but the tourist arrivals could increase if the weather remains conducive in the next three months.