Officials reported on Sunday that the long weekend around Independence Day has caused a significant increase in visitors to Rajasthan’s top tourist destinations like Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mount Abu.

People took Monday (August 14) off for a lengthy four-day weekend as August 15 will be observed on Tuesday.

When compared to last year’s Independence Day extended weekend, when August 15 fell on a Monday, the state’s tourism department reports a fourfold increase in domestic tourist foot traffic.

Major tourist destinations like Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mount Abu, according to officials, are humming with visitors. Only those who have made advance travel and lodging arrangements will be able to enjoy their vacation without any hitches.

“The number of tourists has increased by four times as compared to last year during the days around Independence Day,” said Dalip Singh Rathore, deputy director of the tourism department.

He claimed that because of the increase in tourists, hotels in Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mount Abu are almost completely booked.

The official claims that a sizeable portion of arrivals come from religious travel, with rising numbers of pilgrims visiting the Khatu Shyam, Salasar, and Ajmer Dargah temples.

In light of this, the department has created a new “Sarvadharm Sambhav Pilgrimage Circuit” that will be used to build important pilgrimage sites, including as temples, gurdwaras, and dargahs.

Due to the severe traffic jams, those traveling to these locations in their own vehicles must rely on e-rickshaws or other public transportation options for intra-city travel.

Massive traffic jams have resulted from the rush during the long weekend. We arrived in Jaipur on Saturday by our own car, but we had to hire an e-rickshaw to get around the city, said Rani Raj (26), who traveled there from Delhi.

“We spent an hour looking for a hotel because most of them were reserved for just one night. Three kilometers from the city center was the closest lodging we could find, she noted.

“Traveling on a long weekend is turning out to be hectic as there is a huge rush of people at all tourist destinations,” said Ayush Sharma, a visitor from Madhya Pradesh. After touring Udaipur, we are presently in Jaipur. All hotels are almost entirely booked, and traffic delays are frequent. Mahendra Singh Rathore, president of the Rajasthan Association of Tourist Operators (RATO), claims that the bulk of visitors come from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, and Karnataka.

Devipal Singh, Director of Exotic Tours and Travels, claims that visitors from Gujarat like places like Mount Abu, Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Pali’s Jawai Dam, and the Jawai Leopard Century, while visitors from Delhi-NCR favor Sariska, Ranthambore, and the Shekhawati region.

Further, Rathore claimed that since the state’s Covid limitations were loosened, both off- and peak-season travelers have been visiting in significant numbers. 

Source- Theprint