Mysuru: After the mega fast on Saturday, the Dasara elephants took a break at the Mysuru palace premises on Sunday.
With the city littered all over, Mysuru city corporation has begun a mammoth cleaning process. Meanwhile on Sunday, Mysureans were treated to an aeromodeling show at Lalitmahal helipad.
With Dasara being more attractive this year, the number of tourists who watched the Dasara procession on Saturday increased by atleast 10 percent according to tourism stake holders. Visitors to Mysuru Zoo on Saturday was the highest in the past four years. According to Mysuru hotel owners association head Mr Narayangowda, the occupancy of tourists was 100% on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Fifty percent of the tourists are from outside the state especially from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. But there was a slight decline in the number of tourists to the zoo on all ten days of the Dasara festivities from September 21 to 30. As for the number of foreign tourists during Dasara, it has been on the decline in the past four years.
According to Mysuru Zoo director Mr C Ravishankar, 1.23 lakh tourists visited the Zoo this year from September 21 to 30 apart from 10,662 villagers brought from Mysuru,Kodagu, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajnagar districts for the Dasara darshan trip. Last year 1.24 lakh tourists visited the zoo.
Mysuru DC Mr D Randeep said 586 foreigners visited the palace for ten days during Dasara. S.J. Ashok of Mysuru travel agents association said there were 8-10 groups from France, Holland, USA and Italy. Last year there were 921 foreign visitors to the palace.
