Despite the district administration’s attempts to prevent the Cauvery agitation from casting a shadow on this year’s Dasara celebrations, tourist inflow to Mysuru has reportedly dropped significantly.
Shilpa P reports for Deccan Chronicle that the flow of tourists to the city has dropped by 75 per cent according to Mysuru travel agents association head CA Jayakumar, in what could be seen as an aftermath of the Cauvery agitation.
The Dasara celebrations that commenced on Saturday saw not many tourists from the neighbouring states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu flocking to the city to take part in the celebrations. Nearly 60 per cent of the hotel rooms in Mysuru remained vacant even a day before the commencement of the festival on Friday.
According to reports, nearly 40 per cent of the visitors used to come from Kerala while Tamil Nadu usually contributes nearly 30 per cent of the visitors.
With Mysuru located less than 50 kilometers from Mandya, which had been the hotbed of violence, over the Supreme Court's directive to Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the district administration had foreseen the possibility of tourism being affected during Dasara season.
Mysuru DC Mr D Randeep had earlier said that the district administration is taking measures to ensure that the journey for tourists would be smooth and hassle free, considering that Mysuru is a major tourist destination especially at this time of the year.
“We cannot afford to disappoint tourists who have already planned their trips based on our initial announcements. We are also giving them maps on alternate routes to reach Mysuru through the Dasara website, and making necessary arrangements for transportation,” Deccan Chronicle quoted Randeep as saying earlier in September.