PILIBHIT: A seven-month ecotourism session for tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh for 2023-24 is set to begin on Wednesday. According to officials, UP Forest Corporation, responsible for governing ecotourism in the state, allowed a considerable reduction in charges for jungle safaris and accommodations at departmental facilities compared to previous years, to attract a larger crowd.
The forest department has put in place enhanced facilities for visitors with an increased number of jungle safari vehicles and trained tourist guides.
General manager of state forest corporation, PP Singh, told TOI that major relief was extended to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), including three main components -- Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The relaxations extend to almost aspect of tourism, including accommodation, transportation, guides, entry fee, vehicle entry fee, boating in reservoirs, etc. A cottage in DNP will be available for Rs 5,000 per local tourist compared to the previous tariff of Rs 5,300. A foreigner will now pay Rs 14,000 per person compared to Rs 15,400 earlier,” Singh said.
In KWS, stay charges at forest cottages have been dropped by Rs 900 to Rs 10,000 per foreigner this season compared to the previousRs 10,900. Likewise, local tourists who prefer to stay at forest dormitories at DNP and Motipur forest region will now pay Rs 1,300 per head, and foreigners will pay Rs 3,600. Earlier, they paid Rs 1,800 and Rs 5,500 respectively, Singh added.
However, wildlife lovers, especially those interested in photography, have sharply criticised high charges for cameras, photography, and film or documentary shooting during visits.
A still digital camera will be charged Rs 500 for an Indian and Rs 3,000 for a foreigner. A commercial movie camera will be charged Rs 10,000 from an Indian tourist and Rs 25,000 from a foreigner. A wildlife documentary-maker will need to pay Rs 30,000 (local) and Rs 60,000 (foreigner).
Film-making on wildlife will be subject to payment of Rs 5 lakh from an Indian and Rs 10 lakh from a foreigner.
Ravi Kapoor, a Lucknow-based wildlife photographer, said, “Jungle safari will be incomplete without photography and shooting videos. A camera preserves memories of sightseeing in the jungle which brings tourists closer to wildlife. The extremely inflated rates of photography and other film shooting will discourage tourists’ interest and diminish their enthusiasm for eco-tourism.”
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