Shimla/Manali,  If you are heading to the hills of Himachal and want to enjoy the snowy landscape amid the Yuletide spirit, extend your holidays as the Met office on Wednesday forecast snow from December 27.

"The western disturbances will be active in the region from December 27 with chances of snowfall across the state till December 28," Manmohan Singh, Director of the local India Meteorological Department, told IANS.

He said the probability of snowfall in Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Manali, Kalpa and Dalhousie is high from December 27.

Members of the hospitality industry say most of the tourists are enquiring about the chances of snowfall on Christmas Eve and the hotel occupancy this weekend is good.

Currently, most of the tourist destinations like Shimla, Kufri, Kasauli, Chail, Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali have been witnessing long sunny days.

Shimla, which is yet to see the season's first snowfall this time, last recorded snowfall on Christmas in 2017 after a gap of over two decades.

"Both our properties in Shimla are seeing 100 per cent occupancy on December 25 and 26. Even on December 27, the reservation is good," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) manager Nand Lal told IANS.

He said a majority of the guests have been enquiring about the possibility of snowfall on Christmas Eve. Over 10,000 tourists are expected to visit Shimla and its nearby destinations this weekend, tourism industry experts say.

Snowfall is always an added attraction for the tourists, mainly from the plains.

The Hatu Peak overlooking the popular tourist town of Narkanda, some 65 kms from Shimla, is still wrapped in snow cover.

Temperatures have been unusually low in most of the popular tourist spots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Kasauli, Chail, Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Palampur and Chamba.

Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, was the coldest place with the minimum temperature dipping to minus 7.7 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in capital Shimla was six degrees Celsius, whereas Kalpa, some 250 kms from here, saw a low of minus 0.6 degrees, Manali 1.2 degrees and 3.6 degrees in Dharamsala.

However, foggy conditions would continue in low hills, mainly in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kangra districts.

Shimla, known for the imperial grandeur of buildings that were once institutions of power when it was the summer capital of British India, has been experiencing long sunny days.

Bhavna and Harsh Dubey, a couple from Amritsar, said they might extend their Christmas holidays "if there are chances of snowfall".

"We are enjoying long sunny days, a perfect break from foggy conditions in Amritsar," they added.

The mountain peaks viewed from Shimla's historic Ridge and Dharamsala and Palampur towns have been wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow.

Popular resort Manali is getting a good share of tourists as its nearby hills have plenty of snow cover. Manali-based travel agent Anil Thakur said hotels are getting a good response for the Christmas celebrations owing to snow accumulation.

He said Manali is the only destination in the state where one could witness snow either in the town or in its vicinity throughout the winter.