Himachal warms up to Christmas tourist rush

SHIMLA - Its not the snow, but the sun that is alluring the tourists to ring in the Christmas at most of the popular destinations in Himachal Pradesh.

The Met Office here Thursday predicted that there would be no white Christmas in the popular tourist resorts as the temperatures are rather high. But thousands of holidaymakers have already booked hotels across the state to enjoy the Yuletide spirit whether in snowy conditions or in the sunny weather.

The minimum temperature is above average these days across the state due to sunny weather. Such conditions would continue for the next few days as there is no possibility of western disturbance approaching the region, a meteorological office spokesman here told IANS.

He said temperatures have been unusually high in popular tourist spots like Shimla, Narkanda, Kasauli, Manali, Dalhousie and Chamba.

The minimum temperature of Shimla was 3.2 degrees Celsius Thursday, whereas the city recorded the maximum at 15.1 degrees Celsius Wednesday.

Likewise, the night temperature was 4.3 degrees Celsius in Dharamsala in Kangra district and minus 0.9 degree Celsius in Bhuntar in Kullu district.

But people in the higher reaches are shivering under sub-zero temperatures. Keylong town in Lahaul and Spiti district and Kalpa town in Kinnaur district froze at minus 5 degrees and minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.

However, thousands of tourists, mainly from northern states, have booked rooms well in advance across state.

Most of our hotels have been packed to capacity for this weekend. The tourists have been enquiring about the possibility of snowfall on Christmas. We are advising them to come and enjoy mellow sunshine, said Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl.

The HPTDC has 57 economy and high-end hotels across the state.

Behl said most tourists have been heading towards Shimla, Narkanda, Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Palampur and Sangla in Kinnaur district. At most of the destinations, the tourists can at least enjoy the view of snow-laden hills, he added.

The mountain peaks viewed from Shimlas historic Ridge have been wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow.

Manali, like on previous occasions, remains a magnet for holidaymakers due to plentiful snow on its nearby hills. It is the only prominent tourist destination in the state so far that saw snow. A moderate snowfall occurred Oct 22.

Rajeshwar Goel, district tourism officer at Manali, said: Though Manali has no snow, its adjoining hills have plenty of snow where the tourists can get a chance to hurl snowballs at each other.

Gulaba, 30 km from Manali, is under a thick blanket of snow. Every day hundreds of tourists go there for skiing, enjoying snow scooter ride and having photo sessions against icicles.

Snowfall on Christmas eve has been eluding Shimla for the past 19 years. It was in 1991 that the hill town last witnessed 49 cm of snowfall on Christmas eve.

Vivek Mohans 30-minute documentary For Whom the Jingle Bells Toll is based on climate change in Shimla during Christmas. It showcases how Shimla is slowly but surely moving out of the seasonal snowline.

Mohan, who is now based in Mumbai but spent his childhood tramping through snow-laden streets of Shimla, asks: “Will there be a white Christmas or not?”

Himachal Pradesh attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year. Kullu and Manali are the hotspots for tourists, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.