BARIPADA: Tourist flow to the famous tiger abode in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has nosedived from 20,743 in 2008-09 to 9,712 in 2010-11.
A series of Maoist attacks in Simlipal on March 28, 2009 kept the tiger reserve off tourist bounds from March 29, 2009 to December 21, 2010. The forest department, however, decided to keep the reserve open for day tourism only from December 16, 2010 with strict instructions to the visitor to leave the area before evening.
The park was closed to visitors on June 16 due to monsoon, thus allowing only 181 days for the visitors to enjoy the vibrant nature in its pristine glory in Simlipal from December 16, 2010 to June 15, 2011.
The collection of revenue from wildlife tourism in Simlipal from a record Rs.26,98,952 collected in 2008-09 dropped to Rs 6,84,020 too during 2010-11, as disclosed at the sixth general body meeting of the Simlipal Eco- tourism Society (SES) held at Baripada on Saturday afternoon under the presidentship of H S Upadhyay, field director of the STR-cum-president of the society.
The revenue from wildlife tourism dropped by nearly rupees twenty lakhs, as there was a decline in the number of foreign tourists too fom 182 in 2008-09 to only 49 during the 2010-2011 tourism season.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubaneswar/Tourism-takes-a-plunge-in-Red-hit-Simlipal-reserve/articleshow/8918091.cms
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