Mysore, famous as a tourist destination, is seeing a decline in tourist inflow with the forest department steeply hike in admission fees and other rates at various tourist centres by the Forest Department.
According to Mysore Travel Agents’ Association (MTAA) President C A Jayakumar the fall was around 30 per cent. Many foreign tourists were cancelling their visits to these centres with their pre-set budget plans.
The places that have seen the steepest fall in tourist inflows include the famous Ranganathittu bird sanctuary, Bandipur game sanctuary, Himavad Gopalaswamy Hills, and in Mysore the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens.
A boat ride at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary can no longer be considered affordable. The rate has been revised upward to Rs 1,000 for domestic tourists and Rs 2,000 for foreign tourists from earlier Rs 100 and Rs 300, respectively. The admission rate has gone up from Rs 75 to Rs 300 for a foreign tourist, while for a domestic visitor from Rs 25 to 50.
The revision at Bandipur is no different, entry fee for domestic tourists raised to Rs 200 from Rs 75 and for foreign tourists from Rs 75 to Rs 1,000 per head.
At Gopalaswamy Hills, parking fees have been steeply hiked now. To park a bus, one has to shell down Rs 1,500. A four-wheeler owner has to pay Rs 1,000, while a two-wheeler Rs 200.
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Not to lag behind, the Mysore Zoo authorities too have raised admission and other rates both for Zoo and the Karanji Lake from March 1. For domestic travelers, admission rates are double to Rs 20 for an adult and Rs 10 for a child at the Karanji Lake.
For a foreigner it will be Rs 50 against Rs 10 and for a child Rs 25 instead Rs 5. Carrying a video camera will cost Rs 150 from Rs 25 and a still camera Rs 20 instead of Rs 10.
Visiting the zoo has also become dearer, admission for a foreign tourist going up from Rs 30 to Rs 100 and for a child Rs 50 from Rs 15. For a domestic visitor, admission will be Rs 40 instead of Rs 30 and for a child Rs 20 against Rs 10.
Describing the steep hike as unwarranted and lacked imagination, the MTAA office-bearers said at a press conference today, “Perhaps, the government wants to keep these places beyond the reach of the middle class and the common man and reserve them exclusively for the rich and the VIPs.”
“The increase at Mysore Zoo is unwarranted as nearly 80 per cent of the animals are now being adopted by institutions and animal lovers,” Jayakumar said.
The forest and the tourism ministers were not responding to their pleas, they charged. “The tourism minister has no concern for tourism. He has not attended even one tourist-related programme in Mysore. He did not show up even at the Dasara celebrations,” they said.
If the government failed to protect the tourism industry in Mysore by taking appropriate decision, the travel agents said they would have to resort to protest in association with the hospitality men.