- Shimla's nine-day Winter Carnival draws tourists from across the country
- Tourists, seen enjoying carnival, expressed disappointment over absence of snowfall
- Shimla, Kullu-Manali, and Dharamshala see heavy tourist influx this festive period
The hills are echoing with the sounds of horns as hundreds of vehicles queue up this festive season. The year-end has brought along long weekends, giving a perfect excuse to people, especially those living in Delhi-NCR, to flee the smoggy plains and escape to the mountains.
Winter Carnival In Shimla
The nine-day-long Winter Carnival on the historic Ridge Ground in Shimla has attracted tourists from all parts of the country. A native of Himachal Pradesh, currently living in Delhi, returned to Shimla after 20 years and experienced the winter carnival for the first time.
"It is amazing and beautiful. I am having great fun with my family," he said.
"I'm having way more fun than I had expected. Everyone should visit Shimla during Christmas time at least once in their life," said another tourist.
Christmas rush hits Himachal; Tourists flood Kullu-Manali
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Several tourists expressed disappointment over the lack of snowfall.
"We are enjoying it, but snowfall would have added to our fun," a tourist from Gorakhpur said.
Another tourist, Gursahib Singh from Ludhiana, Punjab, shared the sentiment and added, "I attended the Winter Carnival last night for the first time. Now I plan to attend it annually."
Martha from Mizoram lauded Shimla's weather and wished it snowed on Christmas.
Gramphu is the only snow spot accessible to 4x2 vehicles.
Apart from Shimla, Kullu-Manali and Dharamshala are also popular spots witnessing an influx of tourists.
Festive Rush Hits Himachal Pradesh
Police estimate 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles arriving in Shimla every day between Christmas and New Year. Over three lakh tourists are expected to visit the capital city over the next seven days.
To ensure smooth flow of traffic, 400 police personnel have been deployed. Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, Senior Superintendent of Police, Shimla, appealed to the tourists to maintain law and order.
"Based on previous experiences, sensitive locations and potentially crowded areas have been identified. Complete preparations have been made for security and traffic control at all major points," Gandhi said.
The traffic right now is crawling.
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