Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The luxurious Deccan Odyssey, adorned with five-star facilities, arrived at the railway station with 17 tourists on Monday (September 23) at 8.30 am. The issue of grave concern is that this train has a capacity for 90 tourists, but the number of trips has decreased post-COVID. It is being hoped that a genuine effort would help increase in both the number of trips and tourists this year.
According to experts, before the pandemic, the luxury train used to record a minimum of 20 to 22 trips. However, only 7 trips were made last year. This is the first trip of the season. Hence the train arrived with 12 tourists from America and Britain, along with 5 Indian tourists. The guests were accorded a warm welcome in a traditional Maharashtrian style. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Managing Director Manoj Kumar Suryavanshi, Regional Manager Deepak Harane, President of the Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF) Jaswant Singh, and others were present on the occasion.
Tourist numbers expected to increase
“Before the pandemic, the train recorded a minimum of 20 to 22 trips, but last year there were only 7. There are usually fewer tourists for Maharashtra programmes, but Pan-India programmes attract more tourists. This is the first trip of the season; more tourists are expected in the coming days. Pan-India programmes connect major tourist destinations across India, resulting in a higher number of tourists,” pointed out Jaswant Singh.
Good response this year
MTDC-MD said, “ It is true that tourist numbers had dropped due to COVID, but this year the Deccan Odyssey has received a positive response. The number of trips is expected to increase in the coming days. This is the first tour of the season, and there will be more trips for Deccan Odyssey’s "Maharashtra Splendour." Necessary suggestions have been made in this regard.”
Boxx
On-board tourists in Deccan Odyssey last year
Date - Number of Tourists
September 30, 2023 - 27
November 6, 2023 - 4
December 8, 2023 - 28
January 12, 2024 - 12
February 2, 2024 - 28
March 15, 2024 - 60
April 12, 2024 - 55