Rajasthan: Temperature plunges, tourists rise

Jaipur is witnessing large number of tourists these days. Historical monuments, Walled City markets and well-known food joints are witnessing heavy tourists footfalls. Many of these tourists are foreign tourists and are quite comfortable with the chilly weather.

The winters is when the tourism season is in full swing. As many as 60 tourists were aboard the famous Palace on Wheels train, which arrived at Gandhi Nagar station on Thursday morning. These tourists were from different countries, which included 34 from USA and 7 from China. The remaining were from Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Italy among other countries.

Amber Fort, which is one of the most preferred destinations in the city for the tourists, is witnessing more than 6,000 visitors every day. Of these 1000-1200 are foreign tourists. Similar number of tourists are also seen in places like Hawamahal, Jantar Mantar and Albert Hall and this is just the start. 

As the year comes to a close, Jaipur Walled City roads will start witnessing traffic jams due to the buses of foreign tourists who will be coming in large groups to take a tour of this 300-year-old city. Infact, in December last year, jams were seen on the road which leads to Amber Fort. The rush-hour was so bad that people had to leave their vehicles on road and had to walk for few kilometers to arrive at the fort. 

The Walled City markets like the Johari Bazaar, Badi Chaupar and the Bapu Bazaar are flush with tourists. While the temperature is making the mornings cooler and locals are shivering, the foreign tourists are enjoying the weather.

“This weather is good for tourism industry as many people from western countries come here during the winters. With yearend approaching, we are expecting more tourists” said Rameshwar Lal a local tourist guide.

The places close to Jaipur like Ranthambore and Sariska famous for wildlife safari are also seeing an influx of tourists. Tour operators are hoping the season will give good returns over Christmas and the yearend.