The Hindu 29.10.2010
KSTDC pushes for continuing chartered flights to Mysore
Special Correspondent
| There is a surge in the number of tourists visiting the city |
21.16 lakh domestic tourists visited the city between January and September this year
Centre has sanctioned Rs. 39 cr. for development of heritage core area around the palace
New facility:Vinay Luthra (right), KSTDC Managing Director, at the Tourist Information Centre which was inaugurated at the Mysore railway station on Thursday.
MYSORE: The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) is holding talks with Kingfisher Airlines to continue chartered flights to Mysore to promote tourism.
Disclosing this, Vinay Luthra, KSTDC Managing Director, told presspersons here on Thursday that chartered flights to Mysore evoked tremendous response and the occupancy rate was nearly 80 per cent in all the flights. The KSTDC conducted 10 trips this year. It was holding talks with Kingfisher Airlines to have chartered flights to Mysore at least once a fortnight in view of the response, Mr. Luthra said.
Bookings
He was speaking after inaugurating the Tourist Information Centre at Mysore railway station. Tourists can book accommodation at any of the KSTDC properties, Jungle Lodges and other private hotels, at the information centre.
He said Mysore was world-renowned tourist destination in view of its heritage, wildlife and yoga, and there was a surge in the number of tourists visiting the city over the years despite economic slowdown.
Mr. Luthra said that as against 19.04 lakh domestic tourists who visited Mysore between January and September in 2009, the number had crossed 21.16 lakh during the same period in 2010. Similarly, the number of international tourists who visited Mysore during January and September in 2009 was 43,237 whereas it was 51,913 during the same period this year.
Mr. Luthra was optimistic about the sustainability of tourism boom and capacity expansion and said that investments from the private sector would continue to flow in.
During the Global Investors Meet held in Bangalore earlier this year, over Rs. 3,000 crore was envisaged as investment in the tourism sector alone for the entire State and this would benefit Mysore as well in view of its prime importance, Mr. Luthra added.
On the investments made in Mysore, he said the Union Government had sanctioned Rs. 39 crore for the development of heritage core area around the palace and Rs. 10 crore had been released by the State Government as its contribution. The project would be implemented by the Mysore City Corporation.
Similarly, Rs. 1.4 lakh had been released for the development of Kukkarahalli lake while expansion and renovation of Hotel Mayura Hoysala is being taken up at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore.
He said the KSTDC was providing Rs. 30 lakh for development of tourist infrastructure at Chunchanakatte and Arkeshwara temple in K.R. Nagar.
Under the tourist taxi scheme during 2010-11, 50 per cent subsidy would be given to 30 Scheduled Caste and 15 Scheduled Tribe candidates in Mysore for buying a vehicle and operating it as taxi.
B.B. Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Mysore Division of South Western Railway, said that the inauguration of the Tourist Information Centre was the fulfilment of a long-felt need of the Railways. The Railways initiated a slew of measures in the last couple of months to make Mysore railway station the most tourist-friendly station in the country and the information centre was continuation of that effort, he said.
Demand
He said there was a demand to provide direct connectivity between Mysore and Hampi. The Mysore division has taken up the issue with the Railway Ministry.
Anup Dayanand Sadhu, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Goutum Majumdar, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, were among those present.
