Kaziranga records highest tourist footfall in 20 years, dolphin sighting adds to attractions

Guwahati: The dolphin sightings in the river Brahmaputra have added to the attractions in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), the rhino hub in Assam that recorded the highest tourist footfall this season.

The director of the park, Sonali Ghosh said the park witnessed footfall of over 1.64 lakh tourists between October and December, which was the highest in two decades. The park, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was reopened for the tourists in October after one of the worst floods in the Monsoon last year.

The 1,300square kilometer park is the largest home of the prized one-horned rhinos (2,613 as per 2022 Census) and has been the major attraction. But promotion of several other attractions in the park has increased the tourist inflow in the past few years.

The promotion of boat safari and sighting of river dolphins in the Brahmaputra has caught the attention with more than 2,200 tourists, including over 800 foreigners taking the boat ride for watching dolphins so far.

"The boat tourism at Kolia Bhomora has been a major attraction and now part of the tourism. The introduction of new tourism activities, such as bird watching, trekking, and cycle tracks, has played a pivotal role in attracting more visitors. These initiatives have enriched the tourist experience, drawing nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike," Ghosh said.

"This record-breaking season underscores the park’s status as a must-visit destination for travellers from around the world," she said.

PM Modi and bandh-free atmosphere:

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's night stay in Kaziranga in March 2024, significant decrease in militancy and the bandh free atmosphere in the past three years resulted in record tourist footfall in the state, mostly in Kaziranga. "One photo of Kaziranga shared by PM Modi saw lakhs of views. This helped us take Kaziranga to the world," he said.