Rain lashes tourist hotspot Shimla

The early arrival of monsoon, which came as a relief from the sweltering heat has now turned out to be a dampener for tourism in Shimla. Weather officials said the region has been witnessing heavy rain. Intermittent rain has dipped mercury in most of the plains, leading to less tourist arrivals in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh state, including Shimla. Coupled with the already dwindling tourist arrivals, the heavy rain has hit the local economy hard.