With bone-chilling cold making it impossible to venture out of homes in the plains, hills are the new destination for travel enthusiasts.
The fine sunny weather is attracting people from the plains to hill stations such as Nanital, Dharmshala, Pauri and Gopershwar.
“It is the new trend for the last two-three years. Even small hotels are receiving guests,” said Rajendra Singh, a hotel owner in Deriakhal near Lansdwone in Uttarakhand.
The hill stations are enjoying sunshine and are comfortably warmer than plains.
“My brother here told me that Lansdowne is sunny and warm, so we came here to escape fog and cold in Bijnor (Rajasthan),” said Mahboob Qadri, who is in Lansdowne with his family on a trip.
This change of trend has turned out to be a boon for tourism industry.
“We are contacting our old customers and telling them to visit Uttarakhand in the winters to escape the chill of plains,” said Savitri Devi, a paying guest owner here.