Taj Mahal ticket price hiked for citizens

Authorities have hiked fivefold ticket prices for Indian visitors to the Taj Mahal, in the latest attempt to lower tourist numbers and reduce damage at the country’s top tourist site.

Indians make up the majority of the Taj Mahal’s 10,000-15,000 average daily visitors. Nearly 6.5 million people marvelled at the white marble 17th-century masterpiece in 2016.

An all-inclusive ticket for Indian citizens including entry into the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, was raised from Rs50 (Dh2.55) to Rs250 (Dh12.79).

Limiting footfall

International tourists will pay roughly $19 (Dh69.77) to enter the Unesco World Heritage complex in northern India, up from $16.

“We want people to pay more to limit the footfall,” an official at the Archaeological Survey of India said.

“This will cut down the number of visitors to the mausoleum by at least 1520 per cent and generate revenue for its conservation,” the official said.

The latest move comes only months after authorities restricted the number of tourists to 40,000 per day.