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Hike in entry fee at Taj angers tourists

A hike in the entry fee at Taj Mahal in Agra has come in for sharp criticism from foreign tourists and the local hospitality industry.

According to the revised rates, foreign tourists pay a flat rate Rs 500 at any time of entry before 1930 hrs and Rs 1,000 for later hours.

The Agra Development Authority gets around 70 per cent of the ticket sales. This share is likely to go up to 80 per cent following the hike in ticket prices.

According to the figures available with the ADA and the Archaeology Department, 1.48 million tourists visited the Taj Mahal in 1996-97. The number grew steadily to 1.64 million in 1997-98, 1.8 million in 1998-99 and 1.24 million in the first eight months of 1999-2000. The corresponding earnings for the development authority were Rs 29.1 million, Rs 32 million, Rs 35.2 million and Rs 23.8 million.

The ADA vice chairman, Prashant Trivedi, supported the hike saying the move was in line with international trends.

People associated with hotel and tourism business are, however, not happy with the hike. They have filed a writ petition against ADA at the Allahabad high court.

The president of Tourism Guild and Agra Tourism Forum C Behl, who is also the general manager of Clark Shiraz hotel, said earlier tourists could visit the Taj at all hours. Now they are been compelled to schedule their visits for Fridays when the entry is free. This could result in overcrowding on Fridays.

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