Tourism Department in talks with operators to introduce chartered flights for Dasara

Mysuru: The Mysuru Tourism Department is preparing to launch a revamped tourism website in eight languages ahead of the Dasara festival, to make information on Mysuru more accessible to international visitors.

The move follows analytics showing visitors from 56 countries accessing local tourism platforms, including the official Dasara website https://mysoredasara.gov.in/

The new portal https://www.mysurutourism.in/ is currently being developed and will provide tourism-related information in English, Kannada, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Arabic. The existing official Dasara website is available only in English and Kannada.

V.M. Prabhuswamy, Special Officer to the Tourism Minister and former Assistant Director of Tourism Department, Mysuru, has conceptualised the initiative.

Speaking to Star of Mysore yesterday, Prabhuswamy said Dasara website was receiving visitors and enquiries from several foreign countries, prompting the Department to introduce content in international languages.

Demand for foreign languages

“There is a demand for dedicated foreign language content. We have decided to overhaul the website with international languages, along with the AI bots Ammu and Gajju, who are also the Mysuru tourism Brand Ambassadors. Kannada will remain the default language. The work is nearing completion and the launch date will be announced soon,” he said.

The expanded portal is planned as a one-stop source of information for tourists, covering accommodation, travel arrangements and Dasara events. It is expected to be launched at a Tourism Department event in the first week of October.

Chartered flight services

Meanwhile, the Department is also exploring chartered flight services to improve connectivity to Mysuru, particularly for high-end travellers who prefer direct travel without multiple transit points. He said proposals from four aviation agencies, including State-based, national and international charter operators, were being evaluated. The service is being considered for year-round operations if initial Dasara-season response is encouraging.

Derick, Manager, Administration and Corporate Services at Skygo AirCharters, said the company was planning to commence charter operations for Mysuru Dasara from Oct. 1.

“Operations will primarily be between Jakkur Aerodrome in Bengaluru and Mysuru. We are planning to start with a three-seater aircraft and, depending on demand, arrange eight-seater aircraft for larger groups,” he said. He added that the fares and timings were yet to be finalised.