<p>"</p>.<p>The 12th Manali Winter Carnival of dance and music began today (Sunday). Around 100 troupes from across the country would perform during the cultural bonanza," Manali's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajeshwar Goel, who is also in charge of the carnival, said.<br /><br />One of the main attractions of the carnival is the national skiing championship at Gulaba slopes.<br /><br />This time the Winter Games Federation of India has allowed the Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association to hold the National Senior Alpine Skiing Championship at Gulaba.<br /><br />The Solang ski slopes, which were totally bereft of snow cover, suddenly saw a good spell of snow Saturday. The organisers have decided to hold the skiing at Gulaba, 10 km upwards from Solang.<br /><br />"Still the snow cover is not adequate to hold skiing at Solang, so we are holding the championship right now at Gulaba," association president R.C. Negi said.<br /><br />The championship also has entries from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.<br /><br />Goel said for the first time the organisers have hired professionals to manage the Winter Queen and Men's Personality contests.<br /><br />"A cash prize of Rs.100,000 would be given to winners of both the contests," he said.<br />A laser graphic show would also be organised, besides a theatre festival to stage Himachali plays.<br /><br />The Textiles ministry has organised a national wool expo in which 50 stalls from across the country have been set up.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the cultural festival has triggered a surge in tourist arrivals in this picturesque tourist resort.<br /><br />"The fest has evoked a good response from the tourists. Moreover, a good spell of snow on the hills overlooking this town in the past two days is an added attraction for the tourists," Manali Hoteliers Association president Tek Chand Thakur said.<br /><br />The Himachal Pradesh tourism department is expecting an increase in the arrival of tourists during the festival.<br /><br />"We are hoping to bag additional revenues due to influx of tourists during the fest," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl said.<br /><br />"The occupancy is more than 90 percent in most of our hotels in Manali," he added.<br />The town has more than 350 hotels, restaurants and guest houses.<br /><br />Tourism is an important contributor to Himachal Pradesh's economic development, besides horticulture and hydropower generation.<br /><br />The state attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year.<br />Kullu-Manali has emerged as a favoured tourist destination, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.</p>
<p>"</p>.<p>The 12th Manali Winter Carnival of dance and music began today (Sunday). Around 100 troupes from across the country would perform during the cultural bonanza," Manali's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajeshwar Goel, who is also in charge of the carnival, said.<br /><br />One of the main attractions of the carnival is the national skiing championship at Gulaba slopes.<br /><br />This time the Winter Games Federation of India has allowed the Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association to hold the National Senior Alpine Skiing Championship at Gulaba.<br /><br />The Solang ski slopes, which were totally bereft of snow cover, suddenly saw a good spell of snow Saturday. The organisers have decided to hold the skiing at Gulaba, 10 km upwards from Solang.<br /><br />"Still the snow cover is not adequate to hold skiing at Solang, so we are holding the championship right now at Gulaba," association president R.C. Negi said.<br /><br />The championship also has entries from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.<br /><br />Goel said for the first time the organisers have hired professionals to manage the Winter Queen and Men's Personality contests.<br /><br />"A cash prize of Rs.100,000 would be given to winners of both the contests," he said.<br />A laser graphic show would also be organised, besides a theatre festival to stage Himachali plays.<br /><br />The Textiles ministry has organised a national wool expo in which 50 stalls from across the country have been set up.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the cultural festival has triggered a surge in tourist arrivals in this picturesque tourist resort.<br /><br />"The fest has evoked a good response from the tourists. Moreover, a good spell of snow on the hills overlooking this town in the past two days is an added attraction for the tourists," Manali Hoteliers Association president Tek Chand Thakur said.<br /><br />The Himachal Pradesh tourism department is expecting an increase in the arrival of tourists during the festival.<br /><br />"We are hoping to bag additional revenues due to influx of tourists during the fest," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl said.<br /><br />"The occupancy is more than 90 percent in most of our hotels in Manali," he added.<br />The town has more than 350 hotels, restaurants and guest houses.<br /><br />Tourism is an important contributor to Himachal Pradesh's economic development, besides horticulture and hydropower generation.<br /><br />The state attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year.<br />Kullu-Manali has emerged as a favoured tourist destination, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.</p>
