Tourist arrivals to Mysuru cross 40 lakh completing recovery from covid pandemic setback, but new challenges emerge Premium

But there is a need to think outside the box to sustain interest in the city and its surrounding attractions.

For a city whose key economic driver is tourism, Mysuru has set a new benchmark in terms of tourist footfall.

During 2023-24, tourist arrival to Mysuru crossed the 4 million (40 lakh) mark for the first time in a remarkable comeback from the dumps it reached during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per records maintained by the Mysuru Palace Board, 40,56,975 entry tickets were sold during 2023-24. The number of tickets sold at the palace has been the standard barometer to assess tourist traffic to the city, and is based on the assumption that no first-time visitor to Mysuru will skip a visit to the palace.

The figure does not include the weekend tourists from Bengaluru, who may use Mysuru as a base to explore lesser-known places of tourist interest or simply want to stay put in a resort far from the madding crowd of Bengaluru.

The statistics for the first three months of 2024-25 is also on the higher side. Over 1.1 million (11 lakh) persons have already visited the city between April and June. Given this rate, it is likely that the 4 million mark will be easily crossed this year as well.

This is a huge leap for the tourism sector in Mysuru where tourist arrivals hovered around the 3 million to 3.5 million (30-35 lakh) mark for more than a decade.

Improved connectivity by road and rail in recent years has contributed to the spurt in tourist footfall. Completion of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, introduction of trains to Mysuru from various cities across India, two Vande Bharat trains connecting Mysuru with Chennai in addition to the existing Shatabdi Express, have played a role in the increase in tourist arrivals.