Manali, Apr 17 : With the arrival of summer, the hill town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh witnesses a rush of foreign and domestic tourists.

Manali is Himachal Pradesh''s main summer destination for backpackers, trekkers and partygoers escaping the summer heat.

During winters, tourists here enjoy snow, winter sports like skiing, mountain biking, snow scooter riding, paragliding and other adventure sports along with the picturesque beauty of Himalayan region and snow clad mountains.

The rising temperature in April has revived Manali as tourist destination.

Although the tourism industry across the world is experiencing losses due to the current recessionary trends, the hoteliers here claim that they have faced no problems.

Travel agents say that the number of tourists have increased due to the early arrival of summer this year.

"This year the season has begun a bit early. Because of the holidays of Good Friday and Easter, there is definitely an increase in domestic as well as international tourists in Kullu Manali valley," said Himanshu, Tour and Travel Agent, Manali.

Thousands of domestic and foreign tourists have thronged the town to beat the heat of summers.

"We arrived in Manali today. So far it''s really beautiful, really nice mountains with snow. It really has a good view. I think we are going to stay here two three days more or may be go up to the mountains and do some trekking," said Lilach Levy, tourist from Israel.

Manali also has Hadimba Devi temple, Vashisht temple, Manu temple where tourists pay their homage to gods and goddesses.

Every year more than ten million tourists visit Himachal Pradesh. Tourism industry plays a vital role in the economy of this hilly state. (ANI)