Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 2 (ANI): Following a fresh spell of snowfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh, tourists from northern India have started rushing to Shimla.
Atul Jain, a tourist from Punjab who has been staying in Kufri, a hill station, rushed to Shimla to experience the snowfall. He told ANI,” I would request everyone to come here and enjoy the beautiful weather here”.
Jeenu, hailing fom Delhi who experienced the snowfall for the first time said, “My dream came true. It is a beautiful view around. I am feeling very deligted to see the snow. Everyone should come here and enrich themselves with a new experience”.
Snowfall has also elated the local hoteliers, reviving their hopes of progress in the tourism industry here.
Welcoming the tourists here, Bilal Sheikh, a local tourist guide who complained about a lean summer season due to floods, told ANI, “We have been waiting for the snowfall for a long time. Be it taxi, hotel, everyone is now hopeful. Tourists have started rushing here. It has been snowing for last two-three days. There were predictions about more snowfall in the region”.
The hotelier have started getting reservations after the snowfall and now they are hopeful for revival of business after a long dry spell.
Naresh Kumar, a local hotelier expressed hope that more snowfall will increase tourist footfall in the City. “Tourists have started arriving here. The weather department has forecasted more snowfall during the next two days. So we hope to get more tourists in the region”.
According to the IMD, the Western Himalayan Region and select areas of Uttar Pradesh are anticipated to witness rainfall at one or two locations in the coming days.
Tikkar area of the Nawar valley in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district was covered in a blanket of snow on Friday morning.
The Kharapathar area in Shimla also got covered in a blanket of snow as it received fresh snowfall this morning.
As per the data from the State tourism department, nearly 17,20,000 tourists thronged the State in 2019 including 4,00000 foreign tourists with a jump of nearly 5 percent n comparison to the year 2018.
An economy of over Rs 11,000 crore is generated in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the tourism sector and it is considered a backbone for the economy in the state which contributes to 7.3 per cent in the state GDP. (ANI)
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