Agra, Aug 18: A record number of people visited the Taj Mahal Sunday, with footfalls crossing the 50,000 mark. On Sat too, over 48,000 tickets were sold , however all this proved meaningless for Agra’s hotel trade.
The majority of tourists were in fact “deshi” who combined touristry with faith, paying a visit to the dual holy cities of Mathura and Vrindavan.
Industry sources say near 200,000 people visited and enjoyed look the Taj Mahal in 2 days.
Entry is free for kids below fifteen, “so they’re not counted, though they kind the majority”, aforesaid guide Ved Gautam.
Hotels in Agra, however, couldn’t enjoy the “boom” as most of the guests came a similar day, avoiding night keep during this town. for several of such visitors town offers nothing except a chance to envision the historic Taj.
Despite over 8000 rooms in 350 massive and little hotels and guest homes within the town, guests selected to come by late night.
Due to parking hassles, and long queues at the Taj Mahal, several were forced to come while not being able to envision the Taj.
Akash Chandra from Ghaziabad, who visited with family couldn’t find a secure parking place. He was held up in a holdup on Yamuna Kinara road. Around 4 p.m. he selected to fight home, dejected and exhausted.
Hotelier Surendra Sharma said: “Independence Day falling on Friday, then came the Sat, Sunday, and Janamashtmi vacation on Mon. For people of the NCR, it was so a blessing to move bent the closest destinations for a family vacation.”
But he was frustrated to envision most of the guests selecting to not keep back in Agra even for an evening to envision different monuments.
“Only people who were late and will not create it to the Taj, were forced to envision different places like Sikandra and Dayalbagh,” Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.
“After the gap of the Yamuna freeway, guests from the Delhi circuit feel snug to come a similar day, as travel time is drastically curtailed.”
Tourism circles in Agra have long been tight some another attractions to carry back the tourists. however poor promotion to the sunshine and sound show at the Fort and highlight of the opposite lesser notable monuments has didn’t charm tourists.
“Then there are large parking issues because of encroachments round the monuments, and also the nasty games of cheating, lapkagiri (??????) and fleecing of visitors is notoriously rampant.
“The foul and impure water and air such a lot talked regarding within the media in recent years, also inhibit tourists from staying back,” aforesaid travel agent Amit Sisodia who organises heritage visits among town.