Guwahati: As a silver layer to the Tourism Sector hit Pandemi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaziranga National Park (KNP), in Assam has received more domestic tourists than usual in the three months of this tourist season starting October 1.
While nearly 78,000 domestic tourists pamper the park this season, scare Covid drastically reduced foreign tourist flow with only 250 choosing to visit the park during this period.
However, Director KTP P Sivkumar filled it as a big leap at the time of the pandemic.
Although Omicron scare, the state health department said it would encourage more tourists to visit the country.
Although scare Omicron can damage tourist travel plans from several European countries where experts are afraid of variants can be dominant in the coming months, state health officials feel that tourists from the US and Canada, are not marked as ‘risky’ by India Maybe still visit the country.
“It is clear that because of the suspension of international flights, the number of foreign arrivals might come down.
But the domestic flow is more than normal.
Since October 1, 78,000 tourists in Kaziranga are very encouraging.
The flow of domestic passengers is more encouraging.
From what we have targeted,” said Sivkumar told Toi, Thursday.
He told that KNP had collected around Rs 1.85 Crore this season from tourists.
“The entry of foreigners will increase the collection,” Sivkumar said.
He said in pre-covid, around 11,000 foreign tourists will visit KNP, but because Covid, last year only 500 foreign tourists visiting the park.
“Until international flights to India are arranged, we cannot expect the situation to increase.
So we mainly focus on domestic tourists now,” Sivkumar said.
Last season, most tourists from the Northeast came to Kaziranga.
But this year, Director KNP told that tourists arrived from almost all states.
At the average, the KNP authority handles between 1.5 lakh to 1.75 lakh tours in one season.
“The main season for tourists in Kaziranga is December and January.
So we really hope more travelers in the next few weeks,” he added.
Managing Director of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, Prasanta Pratim Kathkatia, said, “The income of our tourist lodges is quite satisfying.
We started from zero and from one tourist cottage in Kaziranga we have set a target income of Rs 20 Lakh in December,” he said.
The Director of the National Health Mission Assam Dr.
Lakshmanas urged tourists to be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine dose before entering the country.
“Domestic travelers who are fully vaccinated do not need to undergo a test.
They can visit the place they want,” he said.
He added that all foreign tourists would be the target of the same SOP regardless of countries originating.
“For us, anyone from a foreign country is international passenger.
So the protocol issued remembers the omicron threat will be the same,” he said.
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