Shimla, March 17 -- The Himachal Pradesh Travel Agents' Association (HPTAA), representing travel agencies across the state, on Sunday petitioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) expressing concern regarding the potential impact of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on the tourism industry.
President of HPTAA Budhi Prakash Thakur and Secretary Suresh Sharma said in a letter to ECI that the election should be scheduled in the first phase in Himachal Pradesh, instead of in the seventh and last phase on June 1 as announced by the poll panel.
The HPTAA claimed that during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, scheduling Himachal's elections in the final phase had a demonstrable negative effect on tourism.
"Prolonged campaigning and frequent ralli...