Bid to rejuvenate tourism in aftermath of rain disaster in Himachal
TNR Desk
DHARAMSHALA: In a bid to rejuvenate tourism in the aftermath of recent rain disaster, the Kullu district administration in Himachal Pradesh has lined up a host of attractive events at its annual winter carnival in the hill town of Manali.
Scheduled from January 2 to 6, the carnival aims to showcase the cultural richness of Himachal and attract tourists to the region.
Kullu Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vikas Shukla said various events would run from Christmas to New Year, with the main attractions being a beauty pageant, ‘Winter Queen-2024’, and a singing contest, ‘Voice of Carnival-2024.’
The auditions for the beauty pageant will be held in Chandigarh at Panjab University’s Department of Zoology auditorium at 11 am on December 20 (2023), in Shimla’s RKMV College at 11 am on December 22, in Mandi’s Sardal Patel University at 11 am on December 24, in Kullu’s Dev Sadan on December 26 at 11 am and in Manali’s Wildlife Hall on December 28 at 11 am.
Vikas Shukla said there would be an entry fee of Rs 1,000. The grand finale was scheduled for January 6 in Manali, where the winner would be awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, the first runner-up Rs 50,000 and the second runner-up Rs 30,000.
Simultaneously, the ‘Voice of Carnival-2024’ singing contest would hold auditions at the same venues but for Manali where it is scheduled on January 2, 2024. It will be open to participants aged 18 years and above. This contest too carried an entry fee of Rs 1,000 while the top three winners would walk away with cash prizes of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vikas Shukla.
