COIMBATORE: A total of 38,578 tourists visited various parks owned by the Horticulture department including the well-known Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in Ooty on May 1.
According to sources in the horticulture department, 20,975 tourists visited the GBG alone, 10274 tourists visited Government Rose Garden (GRG), 4,576 tourists visited Sims Park in Coonoor, 1224 paid a visit to Kattery Park and 609 tourists visited Kallar farm (located in Coimbatore district) and 799 in Tea Park. Sources said the GBG records footfall of around 15,000 during weekends.
A senior official in the horticulture department said they are instructing tourists to wear masks and adequate staff have been deployed to monitor compliance.
N Sadiq Ali, founder of Wildlife Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) which runs Ooty Coffee House, said the arrival of tourists gives hope to the hospitality sector which has been hit hard during the last two years due to Covid-19. “Unlike previous years, this time we are seeing more tourists from Andhra Pradesh. This is a good sign,” he added.