Mysuru tourist spots see record footfall in a day

MYSURU: Two tourist spots in Mysuru on Sunday got a record number of visitors after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the 130-year-old zoo, home to a large number of exotic species of birds and animals, got around 25,000 visitors, the palace got over 20,000 visitors.
The zoo spread over 80 acres had to be shut due to Covid restrictions. It had to struggle without gate collection, a major source of revenue. It had to look for donors and philanthropists to meet its expenses like feeding animals. The zoo has over 1,400 animals, birds and reptiles.
Zoo officers were pleasantly surprised to record over 14,000 visitors on Monday. The zoo usually sees around 7,000-10,000 visitors on normal days through the year and it’s two and three-fold during weekends, holidays or extended weekends. During Dasara celebrations, the number goes up, with around 40,000 on one day in 2019, making it the busiest tourist place in Karnataka.
Zoo’s director Ajith Kulkarni said: “It’s the first time in just over two years that the zoo is witnessing such a large crowd. The zoo can accommodate around 40,000 at a time.”
C Narayanagowda, president, Hoteliers’ Association, said the decrease in covid cases, general holidays along with school vacations have increased the number of visitors to Mysuru. Hotels have seen good business following the inflow of tourists in the recent past.