Mysore/Mysuru: One ticket, many tourist destinations — the concept of providing access to multiple tourist destinations in and around Mysuru using a single ticket — is likely to become a reality this Dasara as the district officials have been asked to make necessary preparations.
At the tourism development meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office yesterday, tourism stakeholders told District Minister S.T. Somashekar that the one ticket, many destinations concept in Mysuru can go a long way in promoting tourism. At present, tourists buy entry tickets separately to all the sites in and around Mysuru.
Instead of buying tickets at every spot, visitors can purchase one ticket or the ‘City Pass’ that will allow them to enter multiple destinations such as the Mysore Palace, Mysuru Zoo, Karanji Lake Nature Park, Chamundi Hill, St. Philomena’s Church, Lalitha Mahal Palace, Railway Museum and Brindavan Gardens. Revenues between the departments can always be shared later, they said.
Stakeholders have been urging the Government for the last three years to introduce single-ticket entry to tourist sites but their requests have not been considered. A common ticket will not only end long queues outside ticket counters but will also help prevent fleecing of tourists at parking lots.
The Minister asked the officials to prepare a plan from now on and implement the same from this year’s Dasara. Stakeholders said single ticketing system will add to the concept of Brand Mysuru and will go a long way in promoting the city as a tourist-friendly place.
If implemented it would make life easy for tourists and extra revenue for government as tourist might not visit all the Tourist spots.Do advertise about these city pass on the Ambaari , Airavat,Express trains, Shatabdi Express and InterCity AC Volvo buses going to cities like Mumbai.Also tourism department should add a small section in Karnataka Tourism website about city pass and advertise on hoarding at entrance of Mysuru near Srirangapatna.
There were decades 1950-1970, when I was living in Mysore and when Mysore was at its serene and best with flourishing culture ,cool weather and forest all around with Mysoreans able to walk on footpaths and use bicycle to go to a place afar. The city had compact boundaries, and the Dasara fortnight had manageable tourist crowd with the resident Mysoreans able to welcome them Even when the late JC Wadiyar had his last Durbar in 1969, the tourist crowd was manageable.
With Mysore expanding so fast, thanks to greedy politicians and tourist operators like @Kini above, the focus is always more and more tourists, whatever means it takes to get them, the aim is income and more income, without the least regard to the destruction of the already crumbling city , adding filth and pollution when the tourist stampede takes place , by invitation. The city already choking with masses of cars and other petrol vehicles, wil lbe further punished by a plethora of tourist buses. The Chamundi Hill structure already pounded by multiplicity of cars on its road will be further pounded by these large tourist buses. Soon after this tourist mayhem, one could see the landslides of the Hill.
The Mysore-Bangalore 10-lane highway ‘s main purpose is tourism crowd to Mysore through large tourist buses on the highway.
What is the purpose of creating Chamundi Hill preservation initiative which becomes worthless if the focus is bringing as many tourists as possible, who all end up in tourist buses and cars which pound the Chamundi Hill road for 15 days?
I am amazed by the ways Indian politicians and administrator s create plans to line their pockets with Rupee wads, that is what it is one more plan like this will become. There is plenty of room here for all those involved in implementing this, to get their ‘share of personal money’.
Wait until , the Mysore Airport expansion becomes completed, medium range jet aircraft like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 gets in to the act of ferrying large number of Malayalees who are resident in Gulf States, through a non-stop Doha-Mysore service. The Malayalee criminal gangs operating in the Gulf States who are already doing a roaring business through gold smuggling using the existing 4 airports in Kerala are already planning to expand their business in Mysore. Their operators have already taken residence in Mysore, and are bringing more people in, as the Hawala money channel is thriving in Mysore-Nanjangud-Wayanad corridor. Add to this MP Simha’s favourite plan of Hassan-Kodagu-Kerala highway.
Greater Mysore with borders up to half-way to Nilgiris on direction and up to Mandya and beyond is beckoning too!