Tourists enjoy early snowfall in Shimla

With Shimla experiencing mild snowfall and the temperature also dipping down a bit, tourists visiting the state are enjoying their holidays by engaging themselves in several ice-related games. "It is very cold. It is snowing in Kufri and other nearby areas. We are enjoying," said Mukesh, a tourist from Chandigarh. Enchanted by the picturesque snow-clad Himalayas, tourists hope for a wonderful Christmas and New Year ahead. "Well, it is cold. It is very pretty... this morning it was nice, little bit overcast but not too cold," said Robert, a tourist from Australia. Shimla received snowfall in the month of December after a gap of 16 years, though it was mild. It had not snowed at all before the New Year's eve for some years, but it had the season's first snowfall earlier this week with the minimum temperature being recorded 0.4 degrees Celsius.

Other tourist attractions like Manali, Kufri, Narkanda and Dalhousie in the sate have also received snowfall. The town usually gets its first snowfall by December-end. But this year, due to early onset of winter, it has come a fortnight early. The weather department has predicted more snow in coming days. Situated at a height of 2,310 metres above the sea level, Shimla used to be the country's summer capital during the British colonial rule. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. During 2005, about 6.7 million tourists visited the State and the figure is expected to rise by 10 per cent in the current year. The state government offers several incentives to tourists during the off-season, which starts from mid-November to mid-April. The economy of Himachal Pradesh is heavily dependent on tourism. More than three million domestic and foreign tourists visit the state annually.

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