Tourism looks up, footfalls rise in Rajasthan monuments & museums

JAIPUR: The monuments and museums in Rajasthan opened for public from June 2 and have received over 3,000 visitors in four days, according to the department of tourism, art and culture.
Rajasthan is the first state in the country to open the monuments under its control. The Union culture ministry on Sunday gave its nod to open the ASI monuments and museums across the country from Monday.

The monuments, except for the ones falling in containment zones and curfew areas, are open four days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) for the first two weeks with social distancing protocols in place.
Sreya Guha, principal secretary of tourism, art and culture, said, “Most of the visitors are local people. It is a good sign that they are now coming out and willing to follow all the protocols and social distancing norms that have been put in place. We wanted it this way, to start things locally first. This will create confidence among travellers when domestic travel opens up in coming months. This also sends out a message that Rajasthan is safe to travel.”
People have been cooped up in their homes for close to two-and-a-half months. With schools and colleges closed and malls and restaurants out of bounds, the monuments and museums have given them an opportunity to come out.
In Jaipur, eight monuments and museums have been allowed to reopen. Amber has received 608 visitors, the highest among all the monuments. Collectively, the monuments in Jaipur has attracted 1,806 people while the number for the rest of Rajasthan is 1,450, taking the total to 3,256 as on Sunday.
In order to lure visitors, the department had waived off the ticket fees for the first and second week while 50% of the ticket amount will be charged from the third week onwards, as per a notification.
For visitors, the department has put in place SOPs. Visitors without masks will not be allowed and also only each batch of five people will be given entry at a time. After a gap of five minutes, another group will be allowed in order to maintain social distancing.