Taj Mahal continues to be the top tourist attraction and the most profitable in terms of ticket sales made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), according to Tourism Ministry data.
The data revealed that the Taj Mahal earned Rs 81.89 cores in 2022-23, nearly one-third of ASI's total ticket sales of Rs 252.85 cores for the year.
However, this was still lower than its peak yearly collection of Rs 106.83 crore seen before Covid. The ticket sales at India's most visited tourist attraction fell sharply to 11.29 crores during 2022-21 due to the pandemic.
The Agra tourist attraction which had witnessed its peak demand in 2019-20 by earning Rs 106.83 crore, marked a dip in its earnings during the Covid-19 pandemic. It fell to Rs 11.29 crores in 2020-21. It recovered to Rs 31.92 crores in the next financial year before bouncing back to Rs 81.89 cores in 2022-23.
Coming a distant second was another monument in the same city, Agra Fort, which managed to collect only Rs 15.32 crores in 2022-23.
In third place was Delhi's Qutub Minar, which earned Rs 12.97 crore, followed by Delhi's Red Fort at Rs 12.88 crore.
The year saw a sharp increase in ASI's ticket collections for the country as a whole, with box office revenue rising by Rs 252.85 cores in 2022-23 from ---- in the previous year. The highest collection was made in 2019-20 at Rs 308.1 crores.
From the southern states, Tamil Nadu's Mahabalipuram earned Rs 7.51 crores, Telangana's Golconda Fort- Rs 4.10, Karnataka's Hampi Group of Monuments- Rs 4.01 crores, Kerala's Bekal Fort- Rs 97 lakhs, AP's Undavalli caves- Rs 33 lakhs.
Collections at other major tourist attractions
Against a total collection of Rs 81.89 cores in 2022-23 the ASI had spent Rs 91.93 crores in the same period.
ASI provides basic facilities such as toilets, drinking water, pathways, benches, ramps, wheelchairs, cultural notice boards, signages, garbage bins, parking facilities, etc., in monuments and sites.
ASI maintains ancient monuments and archaeological sites of national importance in the country.