Demonetisation affects tourism industry in city of palaces

Footfall dips by over half at zoo, palace & Dasara exhibition

Mysuru’s famed tourism industry and its ancillary sectors have been badly hit by the demonetisation, with popular destinations such as Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens and Mysuru Palace reporting as much as 50% drop in the footfall.

On November 9, the first day of demonetisation, the zoo accepted the scrapped notes of 500- and 1,000-rupee denomination. The crowds surged and the zoo had to be closed for a couple of hours. When the zoo reopened, it refused to accept the scrapped notes, and issued tickets to people who paid by card or tendered exact change. The footfall dropped drastically.

A week later, on November 16, a total of 4,404 people, including 334 (8%) children, visited the zoo. This was far lower than the average footfall of 8,000-10,000 on other days.

The famed Mysuru Palace saw a staggering 80% drop in footfall on November 13 when just 11,677 people turned up. The average footfall on any day during this time of the year is 50,000. A source in the Mysore Palace Board attributed the tepid footfall to demonetisation.

The Dasara exhibition, which begins during the famed festival and lasts for 90 days, has also been affected by the demonetisation. With most of the people lining up outside banks and ATMs, the number of visitors to the Dasara exhibition grounds has dropped drastically.

Each visitor needs low-denomination currency to not only pay the entry fee of Rs 40 but also buy products at the stalls. Shopkeepers, who earlier suffered losses due to the unrest over Cauvery, are now complaining about how the demonetisation has dented the sales.

Speaking to DH, N M Shashi Kumar, CEO, Karnataka Exhibition Authority, said the footfall dropped by more than 50%. The number of visitors, which was around 10,000-12,000 on weekdays, has now come down to just 4,000. The weekends aren’t any better. On other weekends, the exhibition was visited by around 30,000 people. This number dropped to 14,000 last weekend, he said.

The authority has introduced online booking but it has few takers. Most of the visitors still buy the ticket at the counter, and need to tender exact change. Kumar hoped that the situation would improve at the coming weekend.

Mysuru’s hospitality and restaurant business has also been badly affected. Small eateries, restaurants, fast food joints and hotels have recorded a dip in business.
Upmarket restaurants and hotels, too, have suffered as they are seeing mostly foreign tourists.