Tourist arrivals to Mysuru cross 40 lakh completing recovery from covid pandemic setback, but new challenges emerge Premium
The Hindu
But there is a need to think outside the box to sustain interest in the city and its surrounding attractions.
For a city whose key economic driver is tourism, Mysuru has set a new benchmark in terms of tourist footfall.
During 2023-24, tourist arrival to Mysuru crossed the 4 million (40 lakh) mark for the first time in a remarkable comeback from the dumps it reached during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per records maintained by the Mysuru Palace Board, 40,56,975 entry tickets were sold during 2023-24. The number of tickets sold at the palace has been the standard barometer to assess tourist traffic to the city, and is based on the assumption that no first-time visitor to Mysuru will skip a visit to the palace.
The figure does not include the weekend tourists from Bengaluru, who may use Mysuru as a base to explore lesser-known places of tourist interest or simply want to stay put in a resort far from the madding crowd of Bengaluru.
The statistics for the first three months of 2024-25 is also on the higher side. Over 1.1 million (11 lakh) persons have already visited the city between April and June. Given this rate, it is likely that the 4 million mark will be easily crossed this year as well.
This is a huge leap for the tourism sector in Mysuru where tourist arrivals hovered around the 3 million to 3.5 million (30-35 lakh) mark for more than a decade.
Improved connectivity by road and rail in recent years has contributed to the spurt in tourist footfall. Completion of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, introduction of trains to Mysuru from various cities across India, two Vande Bharat trains connecting Mysuru with Chennai in addition to the existing Shatabdi Express, have played a role in the increase in tourist arrivals.
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Allotting designated areas to dump construction waste is a good move by the Greater Chennai Corporation as it will ensure only segregated waste enters the site and that waste is recycled as well. If processed scientifically, construction and demolition waste can be recycled and used to reduce the demand-supply gap in the industry