Record number of tourists visit Mysuru Palace this new year

Tourists have flooded heritage city Mysuru for year-end and New Year celebrations. Mysuru Palace has received a record number of tourists from December 21 to December 31, compared to the same period in the past four years.

The palace has received 15 per cent more tourists during the last 11 days of December 2022, compared to same period during pre-pandemic time in 2019 and 28 per cent more tourists during the same period in 2018. Though the number of foreigners visiting the palace improved this year compared to the year-end of 2020 and 2021, their numbers are still low compared to the pre-pandemic times.

From December 21 to December 31, 2022, the palace received 2,82,333 visitors, including 800 foreigners, according to T S Subramanya, deputy director, Mysuru Palace Board.

During the same period in 2021, the palace had received 80,259 tourists, including 83 foreigners, and in 2020, it had received 53,453 tourists, including 49 foreigners. However, the number of tourists during the same period was 2,40,555 tourists, including 2,605 foreigners, in 2019 and 2,04,221 tourists, including 1,675 foreigners, in 2018. Even Mysuru Zoo during the aforementioned period received 2,85,718 tourists and has earned a revenue of Rs 2,16,73,320, according to B P Ravi, member secretary, Zoo Authority of Karnataka.

The Brindavan Gardens of Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir in Srirangpatna taluk, Mandya district, earned a revenue of Rs 35,16,020 from December 24, 2022 to December 30, 2022, according to Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Authorities.

C Narayangowda, president, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association, said, “Covid scare or guidelines did not deter tourists. The hotel rooms were 100 per cent occupied from December 24 to January 1. Since there were no rooms many had to go to hotels in neighbouring districts. Around 50 per cent of the tourists were from other states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the rest were domestic tourists from our state.”

C A Jayakumar, president, Mysuru Travel Agents’ Association said, “After Covid subsided, we are having 70 per cent tourists even during normal period. It was 20 per cent more from December 21 to 31, compared to normal period. We had 30 per cent more tourists for last 11 days of December 2022, compared to the pre-pandemic times.” At the Mysuru Palace, this weekend alone there were 31,816 visitors on Friday and 26,852 visitors on Saturday. At the Mysuru zoo there were 32,725 visitors on Friday and 23,393 on Saturday.