Mysore/Mysuru: The Karnataka Tourism Society (KTS) has urged Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham to take steps to release Dasara Gold Cards well ahead of this year’s Dasara festivities. This would facilitate tourism promotion and would help the tour and travel operators who were till now affected by COVID-19.

Usually there is a delay in the issuance of the much sought-after Dasara Gold Cards and annually, it affects the tour operators and hoteliers. The Dasara authorities start issuing Gold Cards, a premium pass providing hassle-free entry to all tourist destinations, just a week or two to three days before the celebrations. Tourism stakeholders, however, say that if the Gold Cards are issued late, the business opportunity would be lost. 

Chairman of the KTS Dasara Committee B.S. Prashanth, who submitted a memorandum in this regard to the DC at his office yesterday, said that early release of Dasara Gold Cards instead of launching them at the last minute would help tourism promotion as many tourists make bookings in  advance.

Seeking 1,000 Gold Cards to KTS for tourism promotion, Prashanth noted that they have already started getting Dasara enquiries where tourists are interested in packages like Gold Cards where they can gain easy access to Jumboo Savari and Torchlight Parade. 

Mysuru receives lakhs of tourists during the ten-day festivities, including from overseas. Majority of them are from neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This year, however, there will be fewer tourists owing to COVID. Online promotion with information about events, tourist spots and hotels, is essential to draw tourists and early issue of Gold Cards would facilitate this, he added.