Instead of VIPs, tourist arrival will boost hospitality sector, feel stakeholders

Mysore/Mysuru: Citing heavy losses to the tourism and hospitality sector, the Federation of Organisations and Associations of Mysuru has urged the State Government to reserve a major percentage of the seats of this year’s Jumboo Savari exclusively for tourists. 

Like last year, this year too the Vijayadashami procession will be held within the Mysore Palace premises as it will be a low-key Dasara. The procession is the mainstay of Dasara and tourists will come to watch it if promoted well. Seats can be reserved for tourists and tour and travel operators can coordinate their arrival and stay, said Federation President B.S. Prashanth. 

In a press release, he has stated that year-on-year, the VIP place is always occupied by politicians and their followers and even officers. Even during pandemic time, all the seats are reserved for them. This year, tourists and the people who drive the country’s travel industry must get a chance to get close to the event. This can help immensely in promoting tourism that has been badly hit since the last two years, Prashanth has stated. 

The Karnataka Tourism Forum (KTF) representatives Bengaluru will submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the stakeholders in Mysuru will take up the matter with the District Minister S.T. Somashekar, said Prashanth, who is also the KTF Director.

Last year, over 200 seats were arranged inside the Palace premises for Jumboo Savari as there was a ban on allowing more people. “This year, however, the number of seats can be increased to 1,000 and tourists and travel industry people from across the country can be invited to the event. They can book tickets through an online medium and this will also help the Government to generate revenue and will also enable the tourism and hospitality sector to rake in some money,” Prashanth said.

“What is the point in spending crores of rupees in making the spectacle reserved for VIPs and politicians? This is the time to promote Mysuru so that the industry can look up. COVID or no COVID, the sagging tourism sector has to be revived as there are many people dependent on it. Instead of giving space to the wealthy and influential, tourists must be given priority,” he reasoned.

Urging the MLAs of Mysuru to raise the issues with Minister Somashekar, Prasahanth said that at least a part of the losses suffered by tourism and hospitality industry due to low-key Dasara last year can be recovered this year if more tourists arrive to watch Vijayadashami if they are given a chance to enter the Mysore Palace.