The number of tourists visiting Mysuru during 2018-19 dropped from the previous year indicating a slight downturn in the sector. Officials attribute the dip to the lean days during the elections and floods in Kodagu and Kerala last year and expect the numbers to pick up.
As per statistics from the Palace Board, 37,40,839 tourists visited Mysuru palace from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, as against the 38,61,162 who had visited it during the corresponding period (April 1 to March 31) in 2017-18. This is based on the number of tickets sold for the palace entry.
It is reasoned that entry to the palace will be high on the itinerary of first-time visitors and hence the number of tickets sold gives a broad estimation of the number of tourists visiting Mysuru.
However, these are conservative figures and there are innumerable weekend-visitors to the city who keep afloat the tourism sector but there are no official figures on this.
Tourism expert K. Nagapathi avers that notwithstanding a slight dip, it is an encouraging sign as it is for the second consecutive year that the tourist traffic to Mysuru has clocked past the 3.5 million mark. Statistics indicate that the number of tourists who visited the palace in 2016-17 was 33,24,454 while 35,67,940 visited it during 2015-16. The numbers hovered between 3.3 million to 3.5 million from 2012-13 to 2015-16.
“While this is a far cry from achieving a target of atleast 5 million in the next few years, what is significant is that Mysuru, for the second consecutive year, has played host to more than 3.5 million tourists,” said Prof. Nagapathi.
These figures also make Mysuru palace the second most visited monument in the country after the Taj Mahal. As per various records and the official website of UP Tourism, the Taj Mahal draws around 7 million tourists every year. The only difference is that the Taj Mahal falls under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) while Mysuru palace is not.
Of the 3.7 million tourists who visited the palace, only 48,022 were foreign tourists. This means the tourism sector in Mysuru continues to be fuelled by domestic travellers.
Hence, stakeholders are reposing their faith in additional flights to Mysuru under UDAN to shore up the number of international tourists to the city. A flight connecting Mysuru to Hyderabad and Kochi has already been sanctioned and it is expected to take off later this year.
Kerala attracts a good number of international tourists and a direct flight from Mysuru to Kochi will shore up foreign tourist numbers, say stakeholders.
Prof. Nagapathi said in addition to Kochi, flight connectivity to Goa was a must for the long-term growth of tourism sector as both Kochi and Goa attract a high number of international tourists and this could benefit Mysuru.
However, for tourist numbers to reach 5 million by 2025, the authorities should also think of sustainability in terms of infrastructure of the city, marketing new destinations besides improving air, road and rail connectivity, says Prof. Nagapathi.
