JOIN USEven though the district administration had reintroduced the Tourist Passport concept to ensure one ticket entry to various tourist spots, Dasara this year saw a dip in visitors at Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popularly known as Mysore Zoo and Amba Vilas Palace, the prominent tourist spots in the city.
According to the statistics provided by the office of Executive Director of Zoo, B P Ravi, during the 10 days (September 25 to October 4), 1.33 lakh footfall was registered, with the Zoo realising gate revenue of Rs 76.77 lakh.
On Vijayadashami day, 29,863 people visited the zoo, helping the menagerie generate a revenue of Rs 17.62 lakh. However, when compared to the previous year (2013), the footfall recorded is relatively low.
Comparison
During the corresponding period last year, the Zoo received 1.34 lakh visitors during the 10 days, including 31,790 on Vijayadashami day alone. The revenue earned was Rs 63.37 lakh and Rs 15.47 lakh, respectively.
In the year 2012, the Zoo recorded a footfall of 1.22 lakh during the 10 days, earning Rs 46.41 lakh.
It included 27,831 visitors on Vijayadashami day and revenue of Rs 11.33 lakh. During the year 2011, Rs 43.81 lakh gate revenue was generated from 1.13 lakh visitors, including 29,352 visitors on the concluding day, with the Zoo mopping a revenue of Rs 11.70 lakh.
Reason not known
At Palace, that was open only for eight days from September 25 to October 2, a total of 69,954 people visited, including 56,630 adults, 11,861 students, 828 foreigners, and 635 children.
When contacted, Deputy Director of Palace Board T S Subramanya said specific reasons behind the overall decline in visitors to tourist spots was yet to be ascertained.