More than 16,000 tourists visit Palace and Zoo since July 5

Mysore/Mysuru: For the hospitality and tourism sector, 2021 is all about survival and recovery. With a double drop in terms of income and also in the number of tourists, thanks to uninvited guest Coronavirus pandemic checking-in, the city’s tourism sector has taken a severe beating. 

Now with the number of COVID positive cases and death rate declining day-by-day and businesses also seeing growth slowly, tourists too have begun visiting their favourite destinations

in Mysuru. The footfall at Mysore Palace, Mysuru Zoo, Karanji Lake and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Srirangapatna, is increasing. More than 16,000 tourists have visited the Palace and the Zoo since July 5. 

On July 5, 444 tourists visited the Palace, on July 6, the number grew to 760 tourists. On July 7, 535 visitors came here, on July 8, 695 and on July 9 (Friday), the Palace recorded 1,111 visitors.

The last weekend saw more tourists as 1,671 people visited the Palace on Saturday  (July 10) and on Sunday  (July 11), a footfall of 2,736 was recorded. The Palace authorities are hoping that the footfall will be more in the coming days. 

Mysuru Zoo and Chamundi Hill

Even the Mysuru Zoo saw encouraging footfalls, prompting the Zoo management to hope for more visitors in the coming days, especially after theSSLC exams are over.

While the last weekend saw more than 5,000 tourists, from July 5, more than 8,000 tourists had a chance to see a slice of wildlife in captivity.

Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairman L.R. Mahadevaswamy said that last Saturday, 2,200 people visited the Zoo and yesterday, the Zoo saw a footfall of over 3,500. “The number is good compared to the day when the Zoo was reopened after the lockdown was lifted last year. We hope with vaccination and SSLC exam, more families will arrive,” he said. The Zoo will remain closed on Tuesdays. 

With regard to Chamundi Hill, another favourite spot for tourists, there was no footfall recorded last weekend as the District Administration has banned tourist entry in view of a large number visiting the Hill Temple during the on-going Ashada month.