• Palace – 1.84 lakh visitors, Zoo – 2.28 lakh visitors between Dec. 23 and 30
• Chamundi Hill and Brindavan Gardens also see heavy footfall

Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru city which is a hub of tourists saw record number of visitors during the recently concluded Christmas vacation topping with New Year’s eve celebrations on  Dec. 31, 2023.

A total of 1.84 lakh tourists visited Mysore Palace, while Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo) saw 2.28 lakh visitors during the last week of December.

Even Brindavan Gardens at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in neighbouring Mandya district witnessed heavy tourist footfalls during the same period.

Unlike previous two years, when the scare over Covid-19 pandemic kept many restricted to their households, the year 2023 saw a record number of travellers having tourist attractions in and around Mysuru on their itinerary.

In the recent years, there has been a change in trend, with tourists planning beyond Nada Habba Dasara, during which the city usually brims with tourists for whole 11 days. It is evident with the number of visitors recorded at Palace and Zoo, with the tourist flow starting two days ahead of Christmas festival on Dec. 25.

Mysore Palace

According to statistics released by Mysore Palace Board, Dec. 23 saw 26,111 visitors, Dec. 24 – 33,854, Dec. 25 – 30,957, Dec. 26 – 23,903, Dec. 27 – 22,048, Dec. 28 – 24,394 and Dec. 29 – 22,740. The statistics of visitors on Dec. 30 and 31 are not available yet.

Mysuru Zoo

Mysuru Zoo has surpassed even Palace, with the increase in number of visitors during the same period: Dec. 23 – 25,860, Dec. 24 – 40,761, Dec. 25 – 35,344,  Dec. 26 – 14,476, Dec. 27 – 28,425, Dec. 28 – 29,906, Dec. 29 – 26,450 and Dec. 30 – 27,092 totalling 2,28,314 visitors, according to Zoo                               Executive Director.

Brindavan Gardens

The Brindavan Gardens at KRS also witnessed a large number of tourists from Dec. 23 to 30, with 23,714 adult visitors generating a revenue of Rs. 11,85,700 through entry fee, 33,068 children earning a revenue of Rs. 3,30,680. Even from the school children who are given a discount in entry ticket fee, a revenue of Rs. 1,56,140 has been generated through 31,228 such visitors.

Similarly, Chamundi Hill in Mysuru, another prominent hub of religious tourism with temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari, also saw a continuous flow of tourists during the recent vacations.

If taken a closer look into tourists itinerary, the visitors had made a ‘Circuit Tour Plan’, with Mysuru first in the list, followed by Bandipur, Mudumalai, Ooty and Kodaikanal. With Kerala witnessing a surge in cases of new Covid variant, the tourist spots in God’s Own Country was not the pick of many, while a few of them showed courage by picking resorts in and around Wayanad for their stay.

Hotels, lodges full

Till Sunday, the New Year eve, it was common to see tourists struggling to get rooms at hotels and lodges in Mysuru, with the hotels witnessing a good occupancy. That apart, even the Government-owned Guest Houses in the city were also full. The restaurants made a brisk business with the tourists vying to find space to satiate their hunger pangs.

The small vendors, especially those wandering around tourist spots, also made a brisk business this time, bringing smile on the faces of stakeholders in tourism, who bid good-bye to 2023 on a happy note, anticipating good omen with the onset of New Year 2024.