MYSURU: If everything goes as per plan, the ‘Museum on Wheels’ might become a permanent feature in the city. Through this initiative, the tourism department hopes to create awareness about museums among tourists and localities. Visitors will be taken to museums in and around the city, and will be explained to the history, rare artefacts housed in them, and the need to conserve them.
Some of the museums to be covered under the programme are the 200-year-old Wellington house, Regional Museum of Natural History in Siddarthalayout, Wax Museum, Sand Museum, Sea Shell Museum, Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, RK Narayan House and Railway Museum.
The city sees a footfall of 33 lakh tourists every year, including four lakh foreign tourists. Travel agents feel that with the city housing a number of museums, the initiative is likely to be a hit.
A majority of the tourists who come to Mysuru, visit Sri Chamarjanedra Zoological Gardens, Amba Vilas Palace, Chamundi Hills, Brindavana Gardens and travel towards Kodagu and Kerala. BS Prashanth, president of Mysore Travels Association, opined that there is a lot of scope for improving tourism in Mysuru. “In foreign countries, heritage buildings and museums are used as a tool to attract tourists. Mysuru has the potential and we need to figure out the best way to do it,” he said.
Tourist guide, Bharath Kumar, pointed out that foreigners love visiting museums, knowing its history and collection. “If explained properly, it will receive a good response. It will also encourage tourists to stay here longer,” he said.
Eachanur Kumar, a historian, said: “We have a good number of museums in Mysuru, including private ones. Rare artefacts, paintings have been housed in museums, but people need to be introduced to them.” He added that this will not only boost the revenue but will also be helpful in educating people about the conservation of museums and its importance.