Post Christmas, tourists visiting Sikkim have been making merry as their favourite hotspots like Lachen and Lachung in the north and Tsomgo (Changu) lake and Nathu-la in the eastern part of the Himalayan state received snowfall in the past two days.

However, in what comes as a dampener for tourists, Sikkim police late on Thursday decided to stop issuing permits required to visit Tsomgo and Nathu-la from Friday onwards in view of the heavy snowfall. “If passes have already been issued, they stand cancelled,” said a police source.

Going by the weather forecast, more snowfall is likely to occur in the upper reaches of north and east Sikkim over the next few days. Consequently, tourist footfall is also expected to witness a further increase right up to the first week of the New Year despite the bar on travel to Tsomgo and Nathula.

Lukendra Rasaily, the chairman of Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC), said even though Lachen and Lachung continued to remain open, tourists were advised to plan their visit bearing in mind that Zero Point and Yumthang in north Sikkim were rendered inaccessible because of heavy snow.

Visitors need permits to visit tourist hotspots in both north and east Sikkim since they are considered to be sensitive from the national security perspective because of their proximity to the Chinese border.

“There has been a manifold increase in tourist footfall since before Christmas. The combined occupancy rate at hotels and homestays is roughly about 60 per cent. This trend is more or less the same as previous years during this time of the season,” said Rasaily.

Sikkim has about 1,500 hotels and 939 registered homestays across the state.

Gopi Nath Raha, in-charge of the Gangtok office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said the snowfall was a result of western disturbances passing through the region and the north-south-oriented trough in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

“ Lachen , Lachung , Yumthang and Gurudongmar in north Sikkim and ChanguNathu-la have received a good amount of snowfall,” he said, adding that Gangtok recorded the season’s lowest day temperature of eight degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The senior meteorologist said the prevailing weather condition would by and large continue till January 3. “There is a possibility of Gyalshing (in west Sikkim) also receiving snowfall in the next couple of days,” he added.