Students during a visit to the iconic palace in Mysuru on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
Footfall at Mysuru’s major tourist destinations has seen a sharp increase this month and the reason attributed was the study tours organised for the students from various parts of the State.
Unable to conduct study trips and excursions due to pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the schools and colleges in various parts of the State are now organising education tours in a big way and Mysuru is obviously one of the places in the itinerary.
“On an average, we are getting around 5,000-6,000 students almost every day. We have been seeing the rise in footfall since the beginning of this month and one of the major reasons has been the study trips conducted by the schools and colleges. Such tours were missing in the last two years due to the pandemic. The tend is expected to continue the entire month and early January,” said Mysuru Zoo Executive Director Ajit Kulkarni.
The trips are not limited to the students from within the State as study tours for the students of neighboring States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu are also on the rise and Mysuru continues to be the major beneficiary.
The stakeholders of the tourism industry are keeping a lot of hopes of making it big this year-end tourist season as they are anticipating a large turnout due to Christmas holidays and Mysuru gearing up for the winter festival.
December usually is a busy month for the tourism industry for the reason that the holidays and weather encouraged tourists to take up travel. However, COVID-19 had put brakes on December tourism in the last two years.
“I can say that the normal tourism season like it used to be before is back. On weekends, the rush doubles with about 15,000 footfall and more. The revival of tourism has boosted the morale of the industry which was in crisis with sharp fall in footfall following COVID-19,” he said.
The group visits by students can avail concession in entry tickets in tourist sites as Mysuru zoo gives discounts for students.
The Mysuru palace, the city’s most visited site, has also seen a big rise in footfall and one of the reasons has been the study tours.
The hotel and hospitality industry is ecstatic over Mysuru recovering from the impact of COVID-19. T
Restaurants, especially those around the major tourist destinations, are making good business..
