From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Aug 28: ‘Hop-on-Hop-off’ service will be the new attraction for tourists and visitors to Mysore during the ensuing ten-day Dasara festival to enable tourists to visit all important tourist places.

A set of hi-end buses will be plying through all tourist places and tourists can get down at any point and board at another point after visiting tourist places.

The commuters using the hi-end buses under the Hop-on-Hop-off service will have to buy tickets which will be valid for boarding any of the buses.

This information was given by Karnataka’s Tourism and Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande in Bangalore on Tuesday
The idea is to provide public transport without depending upon either autorickshaws or local taxis, he said pointing out the bus service will be very convenient and affordable.

``We are working out the logistics regarding the number of buses to be deployed and the destinations as well as routes for this purpose,” he said.

A high-level meeting to be presided over by an officer of additional chief secretary will be held in Mysore in two to three days to take several decisions to ensure increase in the number of footfalls in the coming Dasara, he said.

The minister said the Tourism Department has taken steps to increase the attendance of foreign tourists to Mysore during Dasara following reports of fall in foreign tourists to Mysore.

`Dasaramysore.org’ Being Launched

Publicity materials regarding the world-famous Dasara festival would be put up at domestic airports like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Jaipur besides loading all information on the State’s famed 'Nada Habba' in the website.

An exclusive website 'Dasaramysore.org' is being readied for this purpose, the minister said.

 Intensive campaign about Dasara would be made in print, visual, FM radio and internet.

Deshpande also there were 314 tourist spots in Karnataka and the department has requested Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation to organize package tour connecting all important tourist destinations in the State.

Models of seven to eight important places such as Hampi, Nandi Hills, Shravanabelagola, Jog, Karwar and Mysore would be displayed.

The minister said private airline operators have been requested to fly special flights from Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai and Mangalore to Mysore during ten-day Dasara festivities.

Availability of hotels, restaurants, homestays and resorts would also be put in website so that booking could be made online.
``We will use Mysore Dasara as an occasion to boost tourism in Karnataka,” he said.

The Dasara exhibition, which is held at Doddakere Maidan in Mysore, would be made attractive this time.

All the State Government Departments would be requested to put up their stalls well before the start of Dasara on October 5.
Each government department is given a stall to display achievements of their department. Efforts will be made to ensure that private and public sector industrial undertakings participated in the Dasara exhibition in a big way, he added.