Tourists have started flocking to the North Indian hill resort in Shimla for the winter carnival. Many travellers could be seen dancing to traditional drum beats and tunes of Himachal Pradesh folk music.
Mayor of Shimla City, Surender Chauhan, said that the administration is trying to promote the culture of the State and revive business after the disaster through the winter carnival of Shimla City.
“Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the winter carnival yesterday, after which we organised the carnival under his directions. We are promoting the culture and traditions of Himachal Pradesh after the tourism industry was badly hit by floods and disasters,” said the Mayor.
“We have made arrangements for December 31, I have also conducted meetings with the police and local administration. It would be challenging for us but we are prepared to deal with the traffic problem and identify the special parking slots,” said the Mayor.
“The tourists are all coming here, and they are also shifting to nearby areas in Kufri and Fagu. 50,000 vehicles of tourists have entered Shimla city and this number would increase to one lakh by year-end,” Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu added further.
The tourists arriving from neighbouring States were delighted to be here. However, they faced disappointment that the hill State did not receive snowfall as expected.
“It is a beautiful city. This is my first visit to Shimla and the third time in the North, and it is a very good experience. We thought there would be snow, we have seen the weather report we got to know that there would be rain. The people and culture are very good. The varieties of folk dances and they are attired in a traditional dress they are displaying and portrayed here it’s good one,” said Siddharth, a tourist from Hyderabad.
Niharika, another tourist from Hyderabad, said, “This is my first time visiting Shimla. It is something different; it’s cold. I am trying to adapt. As soon as I landed, I wanted to see the mall road. I did not expect the carnival to happen. It is refreshing, and I am getting to know the culture.
We were expecting snow, and unfortunately, it’s not here. I did not get it, but the weather is good, and we are enjoying it.”
“We did not face any difficulty everything is well managed. There is a crowd and it’s obvious in the hill station on the new year. The only disappointment is that we did not get snow the carnival was good. I would suggest people come in the new year as we are expecting snowfall here,” said a tourist from Chandigarh. Many other tourists have been learning the Himachali folk dance during the winter carnival.
“We are enjoying the winter carnival. We are enjoying and learning it here,” said Anmol, a tourist from Punjab. The tourists are enthusiastic to be here in the hill City for the New Year season.
“We are enjoying the ambience and culture here the weather is very good, and we are enjoying and having fun. I would ask everyone to come here to enjoy here,” said Karamjeet Singh, another tourist from Punjab.
(with inputs from ANI)
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