Tourists throng Mysuru palace and zoo during year-end holiday season

Mysuru: Mysuru palace and Mysuru zoo have received huge year-end tourists from December 21 to 31. People thronged Mysuru to enjoy vacation and relax amid winter weather in serene ambience. The tourisyt attractions witnessed holiday rush irrespective of safari ban in Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger reserves, and cylinder blast near Mysuru Palace.

There were 2,11,639 visitors including 1552 foreigners at Mysuru palace; 2,27,135 visitors at Mysuru zoo during the season on these ten days. 

Mysuru palace

Fireworks at the backdrop of Illuminated Mysuru palace at 12am on Wednesday night, hosted by Mysuru Palace Board to usher in the New Year.

At Mysuru palace, there were 16,874 visitors including 132 foreigners on December 21; 11,399 visitors including 129 foreigners on Dec 22; 11,691 visitors including 119 foreigners on Dec 23; 16,788 visitors including 114 foreigners on Dec 24; 24,462 visitors including 82 foreigners on Dec 25; 25,381 visitors including 124 foreigners on Dec 26; 28,044 visitors including 156 foreigners on Dec 27; 27,418 visitors including 187 foreigners on Dec 28; 19,671 visitors including 165 foreigners on Dec 29; 16,845 visitors including 207 foreigners on Dec 30; 13,066 visitors including 107 foreigners on Dec 31 according to Mysuru Palace Board officials.

During the same period in the previous corresponding years, the palace received 2,47,479 visitors including 1548 foreigners in 2024; 2,45,004 visitors including 782 foreigners in 2023; 2,82,333 visitors including 800 foreigners in 2022. 

Mysuru Zoo

During these 10 days Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden (Mysuru zoo) received 14,975 visitors on December 21; 13,285 visitors on Dec 22; 4,283 visitors on Dec 23; 21,067 visitors on Dec 24; 27,286 visitors on Dec 25; 27,930 visitors on Dec 26; 35,306 visitors on Dec 27; 32,128 visitors on Dec 28; 24,427 visitors on Dec 29; 10159 visitors on Dec 30; and 16,289 visitors on Dec 31, according to Zoo Executive Director P Anusha.  

During the same period, the zoo had 2,39,852 visitors in 2024. 2,28,314 visitors in 2023, from December 23 to 30; and 2,85,718 visitors in 2022, from December 21 to 31.

Hotel rooms occupied

Mysore Hotel Owners' Association President, C Narayangowda, the occupancy of hotel rooms in and around Mysuru was 80 to 90% from December 20 to 23 and 100% from December 24 to 31. If the ban on Safari would have been lifted they would have seen atleast 15% more tourists from other States and Counties during the season.

They had dropped by 40% from November 7 to December 20. They picked from December 20 due to winter fest events at Palace premises, and year end vacations as tourists mainly came to enjoy vacation and to relax. 50% of the tourists were from the State and 50% were from other States during the season. Incident of blast of cylinder used to fill balloons on Jayamarthanda gate of Mysuru palace on December 25, did not affect tourists' inflow, he said. 

Followed by blast incident, city police led by Commissioner Seema Latkar had intensified security measures. 

According to former vice president of Karnataka Tourism Forum M Ravi, with high cost of travel, stay, lack of adequate tourist infrastructure, people are generally getting diverted to other States and Countries. Resorts in Bandipur Tiger reserve belt also saw good response because during these ten days, they offered attractive events and activities, and took people for safaris in Tholpetty Safari in Wayanad in Kerala and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu.