Shimla, 15 December (HS). A huge crowd of tourists was seen in the capital Shimla this weekend in search of snowfall. The historic Mall Road and Ridge Ground here remained packed with tourists for two days. Apart from this, tourists have also visited Kufri and Narkanda adjacent to Shimla. Recently, these places received the first snowfall of the season and snow is still being seen here.
Due to the influx of tourists, the occupancy rate in hotels of Shimla was also seen increasing. At the end of this week, occupancy in hotels increased to 80 percent. Rooms have already been booked in major hotels of the city and due to the arrival of tourists, an atmosphere of enthusiasm is being seen among the hotel owners and businessmen. A tremendous increase has been seen in the number of tourists coming especially from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Shimla is a famous hill station for these states, where snowfall can be enjoyed in winter. People from these states come to the cool and peaceful valleys of Shimla to experience solace.
There is a wave of happiness on the faces of hotel and restaurant operators due to this increasing number of tourists. Local tourism businessmen of Shimla say that this year the influx of tourists has started early. There may be even more increase in the coming days, because the snowfall in the second week of December has further increased the attraction for tourists.
Prince Kukreja, Vice President of Shimla Hotelier and Restaurant Association, said that advance booking of tourists is coming in hotels for Christmas and New Year. These days, a large number of tourists reach Shimla in search of snowfall. According to Shimla Police, about 18 thousand vehicles have entered Shimla city in the last two days of the week. A large number of these were vehicles from outside states.
These days the weather in Shimla is pleasant due to sunshine. The maximum temperature here is being recorded around 22 degrees and the minimum temperature is around 12 degrees Celsius. According to the local weather centre, there will be no snowfall in Shimla for the next one week.