The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), which had roped in the Golden Chariot, the luxury train, to give a fillip to Dasara tourism, has been forced to cancel four trips due to poor response from tourists, in the wake of the ongoing Cauvery agitation.
Good response
Online booking for the two-nights one-day trip, from Bengaluru to Mysuru, started on September 18 and the response was good with six bookings on Day One itself.
However, since then only 30 bookings have been received till October 7. The packages of the Golden Chariot cost up to Rs 2 lakh per person, but under special consideration, the fare was fixed at Rs 30,000 and the run was scheduled for October 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 for Dasara.
The Golden Chariot has a capacity to accommodate 88 persons. The operation suffers loss if the occupancy is below 50%. So, the tourists who had opted for other days have been convinced to travel on October 7. By the time the trip begins, some more bookings are expected, said KSTDC Managing Director Kumar Pushkar.
As the trip for October 7 has been fixed the tourists will return on October 9 night.