A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site rich in biodiversity, renowned for its one-horned rhinoceros, as well as the ‘Big Five’ including the Royal Bengal tiger, wild buffalo, the rare swamp deer, elephants, around 500 species of birds, and its breathtaking natural landscape, is witnessing a steady increase in the number of domestic and international tourists, creating new records day by day.
Just as the number of domestic tourists visiting the national park has risen, the number of foreign tourists has also increased this year. Providing details, Arun Vignesh, Divisional Forest Officer of the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, said on Tuesday, “So far in this tourism season, around 1.5 lakh tourists have visited Kaziranga National Park. Among them, the number of foreign tourists has increased this year. Approximately 7,000 foreign tourists have already visited Kaziranga.”
He further stated that from the start of the tourism season until December, although the total number of tourists this year is slightly lower compared to the 2024–25 tourism season, it is higher than in the 2023–24 season, when about 1.2 lakh tourists visited Kaziranga. This year, nearly 1.5 lakh tourists have visited the park. Vignesh noted that such fluctuations in tourist numbers are normal. As there are many holidays in the upcoming month of January, he expects tourist numbers to rise further during that period.
He also mentioned that tourist footfall generally increased from around December 21 to 31, and with the beginning of the New Year, tourists naturally flock to Kaziranga. Over the past three days, approximately 3,000 tourists per day have visited the park.
While Kohora and Bagori ranges continue to attract large crowds, the Agoratoli and Burapahar ranges have also seen an increase in visitors due to frequent wildlife sightings. Vignesh stated that tourists in all four ranges had been satisfied after spotting tigers.
He added that following the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kaziranga last year, many prominent personalities had visited the park. Last year, Sachin Tendulkar visited, and this year, Anil Kumble has toured Kaziranga. Along with the hosting of an ‘Advantage Assam’ event and a visit by the Union Forest Minister, these high-profile visits have significantly boosted the promotion and growth of tourism in Kaziranga.
Vignesh further remarked that this year had seen the highest number of foreign tourists in Kaziranga’s tourism history. In just three months, nearly 7,000 foreign tourists have visited the park. He noted that the majority of foreign tourists were from Europe, particularly from France and the UK.
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