After Mysuru zoo, the entry ticket to the palace, the city’s most visited tourist destination, will cost more.

The ticket price has been hiked from ₹70 to ₹100 for adults while the ticket for children accompanying visitors has been hiked from ₹30 to ₹50. However, for schoolchildren coming in groups, the fare has been hiked to ₹30 from ₹20.

Nearly ₹ 20 in the ticket goes towards the GST, the palace board said.

The hike had become necessary since the Board’s revenue has been falling with the drop in tourist footfall in the last one-and-a-half years. In the last six months, the board could raise only ₹81 lakh through the entry ticket. Before COVID-19, the annual gate collections used to be around ₹16 crore.

Palace Board Deputy Director T.S. Subramanya told Rashtra News that the palace is yet to get back the footfall that it used to attract during pre-COVID days. Before the pandemic, the palace used to attract nearly 4,000 visitors on weekdays and 12,000 to 15,000 on weekends. Now, the footfall is around 1,200 on weekdays and 3,000 to 4,000 on weekends. The pandemic’s impact on tourism has cut down the revenue of the board which has to look after the maintenance of the iconic structure besides giving salaries of the staff.

“The Board pays a monthly bill of around ₹10 lakh to the CESC. This also includes the expenses incurred on illuminating the palace. Even if we don’t illuminate the palace, we need to pay the fixed charges,” he replied.

Also, the Palace Board does not get any grant from the government and it has to self-sustain from the gate collections.

The sound and light show at the palace which was resumed recently was attracting around 150-200 visitors on weekdays and 300-400 on weekdays.

Meanwhile, the beautification works on the palace premises including painting and gardening works are underway and are expected to be done by the end of this month.

Sources told Rashtra News that the Board is expected to announce the dates during which entry to the visitors would be restricted in view of the Navaratri rituals by the royal family members.