Tourists visiting Mysuru can say goodbye to lengthy queues at popular destinations from January 1, 2017.
The district administration, at the request of the Tourism Department, plans to follow the model adopted at international tourist destinations across the world. It proposes to launch the single-ticket concept under which purchasing a ticket for one venue, will allow tourists to gain entry to another three places, thereby negating the need to stand in queue.
The single ticket will allow tourists entry into the Mysuru palace, zoo, Karanji lake, and the Chamundi Hills. It will cover the entry fee of all the four places. The tickets can also be booked online and the website address will be announced in due course.
D. Randeep, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru district, told The Hindu that the Tourism Department has identified the online ticketing portal BookMyShow to implement the single-ticket concept. The agency will collect a commission of 8 per cent from end-users. If the ticket package is Rs.100, the agency will collect Rs. 108 from tourists. After deducting its commission, it will remit the amount to an account designated by the district administration.
Mr. Randeep said it is a pilot project being introduced in Mysuru district, and tourists have the option of selecting any one of the destinations, or all the four destinations. The single-ticket system would be introduced on January 1, 2017, and by that time, all the formalities and agreements between the agency and authorities would be completed. Concessions for school children and senior citizens would also be discussed. Tickets once booked cannot be cancelled, he added.
Mr. Randeep added that the contract between the agency and the authorities would be in force for just three months. Based on the agency’s performance and response to the new system from the public, it would be extended. Meanwhile, the district administration will examine whether Sri Nanjundeshwara temple in Nanjangud and other destinations could be added to the single-ticket package.
Single-ticket and e-ticketing facilities would be made available at different destinations, including bus-stands, railway stations, the palace, and zoo, the DC said, adding that existing ticket counters in all the four places would continue.
