Long queues to buy tickets to enter important tourist places in and around the city will soon be a thing of the past as the district administration and the Tourism department are all set to introduce a single ticket for selected tourist places. Visitors can book the tickets online much before their visit to the city.
The authorities have shortlisted five places — Mysuru Palace, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo), Karanji Lake, Chamundi Hill and Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam — to introduce a single ticket.
The new system is likely to be launched before the commencement of Mysuru Dasara-2017. According to the authorities, Deputy Commissioner D Randeep chaired a meeting with Tourism Department officials and decided to introduce the system as a pilot project for three months from Dasara. The new system will be continued if the single ticket system evokes good response during its trial run. The district administration has roped in online ticketing portal BookMyShow to implement the system.
A large number of tourists visit Mysuru and the surrounding places throughout the year and the footfall to the Palace, Mysuru Zoo, KRS and Chamundi Hill is high, especially during weekends, holidays and the Dasara season. Visitors usually have to wait in long queues to buy tickets at each tourist place. A few had suggested that the district administration introduce online ticketing system to ease the rush at ticket counters. This has been considered and will be implemented during this Dasara.
Mysuru Palace recently launched two additional ticket counters and online ticket system to cater to the ever-increasing footfall of visitors. The new counters have been opened at Jayarama and Balarama Gate near Kote Anjaneya Swami temple and Amba Vilas Gate near Cauvery Area Development Authority (CADA) office. Till now, tourists were allowed entry to the Palace only from Varaha Gate, opposite the Dasara Exhibition grounds.