Tourist footfall in the Nilgiris has increased by more than 15% in 2023, with the total number of visitors to the Government Botanical Garden increasing by 4 lakh this year.
According to officials from the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, the number of tourists to the Garden increased from 24 lakh to 28 lakh in 2023 when compared with the previous year.
D. Balasankar, Deputy Director of Horticulture (Nilgiris), said the year 2022 witnessed a surge in tourists to the district after the end of restrictions to traveling following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, tourist inflow into the district increased further, by almost 17%.
The number of visitors to the Garden is used as an estimate of the total number of visitors to the district as most of the visitors to the Nilgiris visit the garden at least once during their stay.
The number of tourists to the district has also increased after Christmas, with more than 13,000 people on an average visiting the Garden since December 25. According to officials, visitor numbers to the district over the weekend stood at more than 27,000.
The increase in tourists during the New Year’s day weekend led to heavy traffic jams in Ooty and Coonoor towns, especially around the Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, Doddabetta Road and Sims Park. The Nilgiris district police pressed over 200 additional personnel into service to ensure smooth traffic flow across major towns in the district.
