Mysuru: A mini version of Dasara will be celebrated at Mysore Palace premises on Sept. 27 as part of World Tourism Day with a special programme.

Announcing this at a press conference at Mysuru Hotel Owners Association Office yesterday, Association President C. Narayanagowda said the event would showcase Mysuru’s cultural heritage to tourists from India and abroad and bring together stakeholders from different sectors of tourism industry.

Tourists arriving at the Palace from 10 am will be welcomed with roses and sweets, symbolising Mysuru’s famed hospitality and the spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. The event will convey the message: ‘Mysuru, a city of hospitality, culture and tradition.’

A cultural parade will be the main attraction. The procession will feature elephants, tableaux, ‘chande’ drummers, Tibetan and Kodava cultural troupes, dollu kunita performers, tonga carriages, an Ambaari double-decker bus, Police Bands, Mounted Police and folk art ensembles. School children will also participate.

The procession will begin at Mysore Palace and proceed through Sayyaji Rao Road to Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Circle (Highway Circle). Hotels, which form an important part of Mysuru’s tourism economy, have been urged to participate in the procession with banners, staff and cultural teams.

Drinking water and food will be provided for participants. Banners will be put up at major circles, tourist spots and other crowded areas to create awareness about the celebration.

He said that the event will bring together hotels, restaurants, transport operators, guides, traders, artists and heritage sites and the celebration would help strengthen coordination among these sectors. He said the collective participation would showcase the strength of the city’s tourism industry.

Tourism Minister K.J. George, Urban Development Minister and Mysuru District In-charge Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MLAs T.S. Srivatsa, G.T. Devegowda, Tanveer Sait and K. Harishgowda, along with senior Tourism Department and Palace Board officials, are expected to attend. Tourism Minister’s Advisor Dr. H.V. Santhrupth and other dignitaries will be present.Mahesh Kamath of Mysuru Hotel Association, C.A. Jayakumar, President of Mysuru Travels Association, B.S. Prashanth, President of Federation of Organisations and Associations of Mysuru (FOAM), S.J. Ashoka, President of Mysuru Tourist Guides Association and Arun of Hotel Association were present.