Boat Ride Cost – motor boating – paddle boating priced also increased
Nagpur: As the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) appears to winding down with India reaching milestone of ‘Completely Vaccinated Nation’, Maharashtra Government start off several attempts to reignite tourism in the State. Even Aaditya Thackeray, Minister for Tourism and Environment Government of Maharashtra is on two-days Vidarbha tour to promote tourism in the region and also to keep check on environmental activities.
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Monday 27 Jan. 2025
Unfortunately, the inference of these attempts may actually put a damper on drawing visitors; as some prominent tourist spots in Nagpur have increased the entry fees 3 times of the actual pricing citing Pandemic.
Khindsi Lake one of the most popular tourist destinations in Second Capital of the State near Ramtek has increased its fare to ₹100 from previous ₹25. The move has drawn tremendous criticism from tourists.
Intrestingly Ramtek has sitting MP and MLA from Shivsena.
Operated by Rajkamal Tourism and Olive Resorts, Khindsi Lake is Central India’s largest boating centre and amusement park with many tourists including people from nearby villagers visiting it every weekend. However, many-fold increase has set to “negatively” impact footfalls, posing an obstacle to State Government’s move to promote tourism in Vidarbha.
Speaking to Nagpur Today, Chandrapal Chaukasey, director, Rajkamal Tourism and Olive Resorts cited pandemic as the main reason behind the fare hike.
“I’ve catering tourists for years now. I’m fact I’ve been one of the pioneers of promoting tourism in Vidarbha. I know that a steep hike discourage the visitors from coming to any tourist spots; however, I’ve left with no other options to do so,” he said.
“Last two-years the tourism industry has grappled under the shadow of the pandemic. Despite the adverse circumstances, I didn’t go for the lay-off. Instead, I opt for 50%, not a single employee was thrown under the bus. This year the State Government has provided a glimmer with opening of tourists spot; but with the 50% cap. We’re struggling to cope with the expenses. That’s the only reason we decided to hike the price,” Chaukasey elaborated.
