Rishikesh in Uttarakhand witnessed as many as 8,000 tourists within just ten days of resumption of the river rafting services, HT reported.  

The adventure sports activity that attracts hordes of tourists was closed for 6 long months due to the threat brought along by the pandemic.

HT quoted Dinesh Bhatt, president of Rafting Association in Rishikesh as saying, "In the past ten days, since the Uttarakhand government allowed resumption of river rafting, Rishikesh has welcomed over 8,000 tourists, with almost 6,000 people coming to participate in river rafting in the past three days over the long weekend."

However, even amid the surging number of tourists, the raft operators are facing losses.

"Earlier, ten persons were allowed in a single raft, but now, only four tourists are going, with two guides in one raft. We have not increased our prices, so we are facing some loss, but safety is important for us," Bhatt was further reported as saying.