After Qutub Minar bacame accessible and more friendly to every one, the footfall has gone up in last two years despite the slow down in the economy! Article is silent on the reasons which are obvious! Who says Accessibility is not a Good Business Sense?
Here is the news report from Mail Today:
Click here to read from source
Qutub Minar rakes in moolah for Delhi
Pratul Sharma, New Delhi, March 3, 2010
According to figures presented by the culture ministry in the Lok Sabha, revenue earned through ticket sales at the Qutub Minar stood at Rs 10.41 crore, much higher than that collected for the Red Fort (Rs 5.5 crore) and Humayun’s Tomb (Rs 4.8 crore) for 2009.
While the other monuments received fewer footfalls because of a drop in tourist numbers, thus affecting their revenue generation, the Qutub Minar was the only building that collected more revenue than the previous years.
It saw an increase of close to Rs 85 lakh in revenue in 2009, than the year before.
The revenue for the UNESCO-designated other World Heritage Sites – the Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb – dropped during the same period.
The Qutub Minar’s revenue earnings are second only to the Taj Mahal’s – whose revenue share also dipped.
The Taj earned Rs 14.87 crore in 2009, a drop from Rs 17.42 crore during the previous year.
Moreover, it seems Delhi was the preferred tourist destination, over even the Taj Mahal.
No wonder the Qutub Minar, the highest building in the country, raked in the money.
Being a well- preserved building with a collection of smaller monuments within the main complex, it offers more attractions to the visitors.
They are awed by the sheer beauty of its carved stones and the imposing height of the tower.
With the economic slowdown hitting tourism, revenue generation at world heritage monuments fell drastically last year.
The overall figure for revenue earned through entrance tickets at 16 centrally protected monuments during 2009 was just Rs 50 crore, as compared to Rs 66.84 crore in 2008.
The drop in revenue showed the fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country.
Sources said foreign tourists contribute more as each ticket for them costs Rs 250 as compared to Rs 10 for tourists from the SAARC nations.
Monuments in the country that saw a marginal increase in revenue through ticket sales last year were the Ellora Caves ( Rs 1.21 crore), the Buddhist monument at Sanchi ( Rs 1.94 crore), the Sun Temple in Konark ( Rs 1.8 crore), the Elephanta Caves ( Rs 80 lakh) and the Champaner- Pavagarh Archaeological Park ( Rs 13 lakh).