Now Reading: Assam considers Kaziranga safari fee hike, online booking
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Assam considers Kaziranga safari fee hike, online booking
The Assam government is considering raising jeep and elephant safari charges at Kaziranga National Park ahead of the next tourism season. Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said on Sunday that safari…
The Story in Brief
The Assam government is considering raising jeep and elephant safari charges at Kaziranga National Park ahead of the next tourism season. Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said on Sunday that safari fees have not changed in 10 to 11 years and that discussions with stakeholders were held on revising them.
A new online booking system for safaris will let visitors reserve slots and pay in advance. The Forest Department will build a digital platform, and also plans to ban mobile phones and other devices in the park's inner core and remote areas, following a Supreme Court direction. Officials said over 4.7 lakh tourists visited the park this season.
The Indian Opinion
A fee hike at Kaziranga after a decade is fair, but the real test is whether the extra money reaches local communities and improves park infrastructure, not just government coffers. The online booking system is welcome, yet it risks excluding tourists without internet access, especially from rural areas. Watch whether the Forest Department publishes clear safari rates and a timeline for the digital platform before the season opens. That will show if this is genuine reform or just a price rise.
Source: assamtribune.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
