Dharamshala, Aug. 10 -- Despite slowdown in May, the tourist footfall in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh has witnessed an increase in the first six months of 2025 compared to the arrivals recorded last year during the same period. According to the data shared by the tourism department, between January and June, 4.70 lakh tourists visited the Kangra district, compared to 4.6 lakh during the same period last year. After a significant decline in tourist footfall in May, the month of June showed a positive trend. This June, 1,17,709 tourists visited Kangra, an increase compared to 1 lakh arrivals in June 2024. Except in May, the tourist numbers have seen a rise in every month this year compared to the same months last year. In May 66,592 tourists visited Kangra, compared to 83,388 visitors recorded in the same month last year. Kangra district tourism development officer Vinay Dhiman said tourism is highly dependent on safety and security. "Even a slight disturbance discourages tourists. They choose a destination only when they feel safe, as it is the primary concern for every individual," he said. Notably, the domestic tourist numbers have registered an increase till June, while the number of foreign tourists have seen a slight drop, compared to last year. Officials attributed last year's higher number of foreign visitors to the test match played between India and England in March 2024. "The tourist arrivals often rise during major events, like we saw in March last year when Dharamshala hosted a Test match between India and England," he said. Foreigners in large numbers throng Dharamshala and McLeodganj where the 14th Dalai Lama resides. Dharamshala is also emerging as a sports tourism destination with Indian Premier League and international cricket matches being played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in the city, which is often dubbed as one of the world's beautiful cricket venues. Kangra also boasts of Bir Billing, the paragliding capital of India....