People throng monuments, resorts on Independence-Day weekend in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Tourists thronged monuments, landmark squares at tourist spots across the state and crowded hotels and resorts making the most of the weekend. The fact that Covid cases are almost negligible in the state boosted their confidence to go out, recreating the memory of pre-Covid days.
Iconic Amber Fort saw the highest footfall of the year on Sunday since it reopened on June 16. The scenes at other popular monuments like Nahargarh, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal were no different.
“The weekend seemed like pre-Covid days. People from all age groups from places like the National Capital Region, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other neighbouring cities visited the state’s monuments in great numbers. In August, you get the early feelings of the tourist season that begins in September. The weekend rush coinciding with the Independence Day was a nice way to enter the tourist calendar,” said P C Sharma, director of state archaeology and museum department.
Even the hotel industry and restaurants were packed. The hospitality business in the leading tourist destinations has been on a steady recovery path over the past one month. Hotel occupancy in Jaipur, Udaipur, Mount Abu, Kumbhalgarh and Jodhpur rose to over 70% during weekend.
Dhirendra Raghav, a hotelier in Jaipur said, “The volume of business has been on the upswing because of negligible new Covid infections. The industry has been waiting for such busy days for a long time. The business was very good on the weekend. We expect the trend to continue if the Covid problem does not come back.” Weddings on Saturday in some hotels also helped boost the occupancy.