Taj Mahal Refuses to Accept Dollars for Admission
BOMBAY -- The Taj Mahal and other top tourist sites in India are refusing to accept dollars to pay for admission, dealing another blow to the prestige of the weakened American currency. Entry tickets to the world famous Mughal tomb in Agra and about 120 sites run by the Archaeological Survey of India will be available only at a fixed rupee rate after the dollar lost more than 12% of its value against the local currency this year.
The Government had fixed a $5 entrance fee for World Heritage sites such as the Taj Mahal and $2 for other monuments of interest at a time when the dollar was worth about 50 rupees. Buoyed by capital inflows into the surging Bombay stock market, the rupee rose yesterday to 39.28 rupees against the dollar.
The new fixed entry fee of 250 rupees and 100 rupees means that a foreign tourist will pay the equivalent of about $6.40 and $2.50 respectively.
The Government had fixed a $5 entrance fee for World Heritage sites such as the Taj Mahal and $2 for other monuments of interest at a time when the dollar was worth about 50 rupees. Buoyed by capital inflows into the surging Bombay stock market, the rupee rose yesterday to 39.28 rupees against the dollar.
The new fixed entry fee of 250 rupees and 100 rupees means that a foreign tourist will pay the equivalent of about $6.40 and $2.50 respectively.
(HT: Sanil Kori)
2 Comments:
Tourism in India is emerging as a major sector of growth of the Indian economy. The industry thrives on foreign tourist arrivals to a larger extent. There has also been an upward trend among Indians travelling to destination both domestic and overseas. Interestingly, Indian tourism continued to soar even after the 9/11 attacks, tsunami and the outbreak of SARS.
Taj Mahal is one of the most favored destinations among the foreign tourists. Since the industry is a major foreign exchange earner, it makes more sense to charge the admission fee in rupees. Having said that, the Government has to take initiatives to upgrade its airports, roads and other infrastructure to global standards to attract more visitors.
I posted about this from a business perspective. you can take a look at http://www.capitalai.com/blog/2008/01/15/taj-mahal-says-rupee-in-dollar-out/
Post a Comment
<< Home