Mysuru tourism sector on a high after sellout weekend

100% occupancy at the weekend gives hope of a good tourist season ahead

The long weekend coupled with summer vacations for children have brought cheer to the tourism sector in the region with tourist footfall on the rise.

The hospitality sector in Mysuru is buoyed by the cent per cent occupancy rates for three days owing to public holidays on Saturday (on account of Basava Jayanti), Sunday, and May Day on Monday.

There are nearly 6,500 rooms in Mysuru and surrounding regions catering to all categories of tourists — from providing accommodation in the luxury segment to those in the budget category — and all rooms were booked till Monday.

“We constantly cross-verify with fellow-members of our association on accommodation availability to cater to the guests and those making online bookings, but the feedback we have received is that there are no rooms available till Monday,” said Narayan Gowda, president, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association.

While this weekend has had 100% occupancy, the good news is that almost all hotels are reporting 80% occupancy rates for May as a whole, with most bookings made online.

“In view of lack of accommodation, I directed a few tourist parties from the neighbouring States to look for accommodation in Nanjangud, where a few hotels have come up on the highway,” said Mr. Gowda.

Besides, May is one of the peak seasons for tourism in Mysuru.

The other months are October to January, with a spike in the footfall during December. In May 2016, Mysuru witnessed a record footfall of 4.98 lakh visitors sending the stakeholders into raptures in anticipation of a good turnover during the year. But drought, coupled with the Cauvery agitation and its political fallout, saw a slump in tourist inflow. Hence the stakeholders hope to make good last year’s loss if the current trends are maintained. Besides, Mysuru, there is a surge in tourist traffic to Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru to beat the heat.

Given the geographical proximity and location, nearly 60% of the

tourists visiting Mysuru tend to be from the bordering regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Tourists from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra make up for a significant percentage, while the remaining are from the rest of India.

While the available accommodation and infrastructure is reckoned to be sufficient to cater to the present crowd, it falls short during peak tourist season.