Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh said on Friday that the Southern Splendour tour of the Golden Chariot will now be back on tracks. The services, stalled two years ago, will now be revived after the Indian Railways redefined the haulage charges.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of three-day “India International Travel Mart - 2018” in Bengaluru, the minister said that the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) suffered a loss of Rs 40 crore last year due to the fall in the number of visitors and high haulage charges.
He added that last fiscal the train earned a profit of Rs 12 lakh.
“The interiors of the train are being re-done and new packages are being designed to attract more customers. We are also working towards relaunching the Southern Splendour,” he said. Southern Splendour covered the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
Mahesh added that the department was also preparing a booklet and map of all waterfalls in Karnataka. “This year monsoon was good and footfall to the waterfalls is visibly high. All waterfalls are being documented and itinerary is being prepared. Monsoon will be good for the next four years and facilities will be improved at all waterfalls in days ahead,” he said.
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