Steady snowfall in Sikkim’s upper reaches over the past couple of weeks has led to record tourist footfall in the state’s eastern and northern parts. But drivers are also being warned to carry shovels to clear the snow and chains to prevent the tyres from skidding.

Since mid-December, around 2,000 tourists are arriving every day even in far-flung areas like Lachen and Lachung, marking the highest single-day arrivals in the region, sources said.

Kalpak De, who owns hotels in Lachung, said the tourism industry had been worried, keeping in mind the unrest in Bangladesh.

“Hundreds from that country used to flock to Sikkim during winters since 2018, when India opened the state to Bangladeshi tourists,” De said.

“But they aren’t coming this year because of the situation in their country. However, the steady arrival of domestic and foreign tourists (from countries other than Bangladesh) has brought us some cheer.”

Snowfall has been reported from vast swathes of Mangan district in northern Sikkim, including tourist hotspots like Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang and Yumesemdong.

De, associated with the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators Association, said Lachung had 130-odd hotels.

“The occupancy rate is currently above 90 per cent in all of them,” De said.

Gangtok, in eastern Sikkim, is also witnessing a tourist boom. Sunday marked the season’s first snowfall at Nathu-la and the Chhangu (Tsomgo) Lake, two tourist attractions in eastern Sikkim.

“There was traffic congestion on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (which connects these tourist spots with Gangtok) with hundreds of vehicles ferrying tourists to these places,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, an apex body of tourism stakeholders.

“The trend suggests a steady tourist inflow during the next two or three weeks.”

Tourism had taken a beating in Sikkim because of last year’s glacial lake outburst flood and the intermittent landslides during and after the wet season this year, Sanyal said. “This inflow will help revive the sector, which provides a living to thousands.”

However, snowfall can also leave tourists stranded — there are instances of the army having to rescue hundreds of them. The Gangtok district administration has therefore issued an advisory for vehicles carrying tourists to Nathu-la and the Chhangu Lake.

While Nathu-la is situated at 14,140 feet, around 58km from Gangtok, the Chhangu Lake is 42km from the state capital and boasts an altitude of around 12,000 feet.

The advisory says all vehicles headed for these two sites should cross the checkpoint at Third Mile by 10.30am, and at 5pm on the way back to Gangtok.

“It asks all vehicles to carry at least one shovel and a pair of chains — to be tied around tyres — to provide better grip and prevent skidding,” a source said. “The drivers have been asked to keep trash bags so that passengers (if stranded) can dispose of waste.”

Sources said six tourists had got stranded on Sunday after sudden snowfall at Yakshe, near the Yumthang Valley in north Sikkim and around 140km from Gangtok.

“Members of the Lachung Dzomsa Hotel Association, along with the police, rescued them,” the source said.

A source at the regional Met office in Gangtok said: “Light rain and snow has been forecast in the higher reaches of northern and eastern Sikkim during the next two days.”

India-China talks

The Sikkim government has said tourists will not be allowed to visit Nathu-la on New Year’s Day. “A meeting between the Indian and Chinese armies will be held at Nathu-la,” an official explained.