Tourism Surge in Mysuru Amid Dasara Celebrations

The city of Mysuru is experiencing a significant surge in tourist footfall as the annual Dasara festival is underway, culminating in the grand Jamboo Savari scheduled for Saturday. Since the festival’s commencement on October 3, the influx of visitors has invigorated the local hospitality industry. C. Narayana Gowda, representing the Mysuru Hotel Owners Association, reported that most hotels in the city center and popular tourist areas are fully booked, achieving 100 percent occupancy from Thursday through Sunday.

Narayana Gowda noted that the hospitality sector is thriving, with occupancy rates hovering at 60 to 70 percent in the days leading up to the festival. The demand is so high that even resorts on the outskirts of Mysuru have experienced full bookings, leaving only a few rooms available in some residential hotels. Mysuru boasts approximately 180 registered hotels, ranging from budget accommodations to luxurious stays, all of which are reportedly occupied for the peak festival days.

The Dasara festival marks the beginning of Mysuru’s tourism season, and the local tourism stakeholders anticipate a sustained influx of visitors throughout the month. With the festive street illuminations expected to continue for several more days, the sector remains optimistic. Historically, the post-Dasara period sees a steady increase in tourist numbers, lasting until January’s first week.

Mysuru Palace, a key attraction, welcomed over 4 million tourists in the 2023-2024 period. During the current fiscal year, 19.29 lakh tourists visited the palace between April 1 and September 30. Given the current trends, it is projected that the palace could once again achieve over 4 million visitors during 2024-2025. The number of visitors to the palace often provides a broad estimate of tourist activity within the city, based on the notion that first-time visitors will invariably include the palace in their itinerary.

The surge in tourism during Dasara paints a rosy picture for Mysuru’s hospitality and tourism sectors, promising continuous growth and integration into the city’s economic fabric.