Tour operators oppose ASI's entry fee hike

NEW DELHI: Over a month after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) hiked entry prices for all ticketed monuments, it said that they expect the additional revenue would amount to Rs 200-250 crore in 2016-17 fiscal. As per official figures, ASI earned revenue of Rs 93.98 crore as entry fee from ticketed monuments in 2014-15, which comes to Rs 25-26 lakh per day.
Culture ministry officials said there had been "no discernible change" in the income from entry fee in centrally-protected monuments during the last few years and the hike was long overdue. The increase in entry fee was put into effect from April 1.
The government had ordered a three-fold hike in the entry fee for 116 monuments under the ASI for domestic visitors and 100% for foreign tourists. For the 32 World Heritage Sites, the ministry said, the ticket price was increased to Rs 30 from Rs 10 for domestic visitors, while it was hiked to Rs 500 from Rs 250 for foreign nationals. For monuments other than World Heritage Sites, the fee was increased to Rs 15 from Rs 5 for domestic visitors and Rs 200 from Rs 100 for foreigners.
The hike was opposed by tour operators, who insisted that it would affect international tourism in India, as many foreign visitors would find the revised entry fee too hefty. The ministry also came out with a notification wherein those who purchase high-value tickets would be awarded better facilities in the form of free bottled water, Wi-Fi connectivity, mementoes and CDs with pictures and films of monuments. The high-value tickets cost Rs 750 and Rs 300 at World Heritage monuments and other ticketed monuments respectively. There would also be separate queues for ticket holders of Rs 750, Rs 500, Rs 300 and Rs 200 for ensuring smooth entry to the monuments.
However, the increase in entry fee continues to lead to confusion as the ASI has failed to update the revised charges on their website and tour operators said that many foreign visitors were cancelling visits or opting for alternate options after learning that the entry fee for them have doubled. When contacted, senior officials said they were in the process of updating the website, which would be done shortly.