Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a preferred destination for tourists, witnessing a notable increase in visitors at its tiger reserves, which will now remain open till June 25.
The tourism season, originally scheduled from November 15 to June 15, has been extended by another 10 days, officials of the Forest Department said here on Saturday.
The number of tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh’s Tiger Reserves saw a significant increase in the 2023-24 season (until June 14) as compared to 2022-23. In Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, the count rose from 41,815 Indians and 137 foreign tourists in 2022-23 to 56,770 domesticand 292 foreign tourists in 2023-24.
Similarly, Pilibhit witnessed an increase from 23,525 Indian and 54 foreign tourists in 2022-23 to 38,183 Indian and 164 foreign tourists in 2023-24. Amangarh recorded 4,084 Indian and six foreign tourists this year, up from 3,066 Indian and two foreign tourists last year.
At Ranipur Tiger Reserve, the number of Indian tourists surged from 4,180 in 2022-23 to 9,170 in 2023-24.
There has been an increase of approximately 36,000 tourists in 2023-24 as compared to the previous year. Specifically, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve saw an increase of 15,110 tourists, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve recorded a rise of 14,768 tourists, Amangarh Tiger Reserve witnessed an increase of 1,022 tourists, and Ranipur Tiger Reserve saw a surge of 4,990 tourists.
The Forest Department has extended this year’s tourism season at the Tiger Reserves by an additional 10 days. Originally scheduled to conclude on June 15, the season, which began on November 15, 2023, will now continue until June 25.
Officials said the Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation has been consistently providing facilities such as tourist accommodations, luxury Tata Xenon Safari vehicles, and boat safaris across various tiger reserves in the state, including Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur-Kheri and Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Pilibhit.