Independence Day long weekend: Bitten by wanderlust, tourists make beeline for Rajasthan

 Rajasthan's major tourist attractions like Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mount Abu, are witnessing a huge rush of people owing to the Independence Day long weekend, officials said on Sunday. As August 15 will be celebrated on Tuesday, people have taken leave on Monday (August 14) for an extended four-day weekend.

According to the state's Tourism Department, there has been a four-fold rise in the footfall of domestic tourists as compared to last year's Independence Day extended weekend when August 15 fell on a Monday. Officials said major tourist places, including Jaipur, Udaipur and Mount Abu, are buzzing with tourists and only those who have prior travel and accommodation bookings will be able to enjoy their vacation without any hiccups.

"The number of tourists has increased by four times as compared to last year during the days around Independence Day," Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, Dalip Singh Rathore said. Due to the surge in visitors, there is near full occupancy at hotels in Jaipur, Udaipur, and Mount Abu, he said.

According to the official, religious tourism forms a significant chunk of arrivals with an increasing number of devotees visiting Khatu Shyam temple, Salasar temple and Ajmer Dargah. Considering this, the department has developed a new 'Sarvadharm Sambhav Pilgrimage Circuit' under which, the development of major pilgrimage sites, including temples, gurdwaras, and dargahs, will be carried out.

Meanwhile, those taking their own vehicles to these destinations are forced to rely on e-rickshaws or other public transport facilities for intra-city travel due to the massive traffic snarls. "The long weekend rush has led to massive traffic snarls. We came by our own car but had to hire an e-rickshaw for travelling within the city," said Rani Raj (26), who arrived in Jaipur from Delhi on Saturday.

"We spend an hour searching for a hotel for just one night as most of them were booked. We finally managed to get accommodation three km away from the city centre," she added. Ayush Sharma, who came from Madhya Pradesh, said, "Travelling on a long weekend is turning out to be hectic as there is a huge rush of people at all tourist places. We have toured Udaipur and are now visiting Jaipur. Traffic jams are common and all hotels are almost fully booked." According to President of the Rajasthan Association of Tourists Operators (RATO) Mahendra Singh Rathore, the majority of tourists are from Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh.

According to Devipal Singh, Director of Exotic Tours and Travels, tourists from Gujarat favour destinations like Mount Abu, Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and Pali's Jawai Dam and Jawai Leopard Century, while Sariska, Ranthambore and Shekhawati region is the preferred choice of tourists from Delhi-NCR. Rathore further said ever since Covid restrictions were lifted in the state, tourists have been arriving in large numbers be it off-season or peak season.