s open for tourists' season

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Guwahati, Nov 2 (UNI) The Kaziranga (KNP) along with the Pobitora and Manas santuaries have re-opened their gates for the annual tourist season yesterday after monsoons.

The KNP, famous for its one horn Rhinos, boasts of thousands of foreign and domestic visitors every year.

In a glittering function, attended by local political leaders, administrative heads and the foreign and domestic tourists, the welcomed its first guests for the season.

About 13 elephants participated in the opening ceremony of this world heritage site.

The KNP had received more than 80,000 visitors during the last tourist season from November 2005 to March 2006. Of these about 4,711 were foreign tourists.

Though the number of foreign tourists had declined marginally last season, the authorities were expectant of more flow of overseas visitors this season.

The KNP had earned Rs 67 lakh as gate fee alone last season and had experinced a healthy growth in the number of domestic tourists.

Similarly, The Manas sanctuary, once a den of terrorist activites of the Bodo miltants of the present disbanded Bodo Libertaion Tigers, have witnessed a remarkable rise in the number of visitors, sources said.

With the former BLT cadres now guarding the and working for its revival, Manas was expected to attract more tourists with improvement of infrastructure over the years.

The Pobitora wildlife sanctuary, situated on the outskirts of Guwahati, has the world's highest concentration of the Indian one-horned rhino and also the second highest population of the species.

Though the 's proximity to the main city should have made it the most sought-after wildlife destinations, lack of adequate publicity and promotion, coupled with poor roads and infrastructure, had kept it in relative wilderness.

''The infrastructure has improved and it was fast emerging as a favoured wildlife tourism spot, with aver 3,000 tourists setting foot last season,'' The wildlife authorities said.

The wildlife s are a major source of revenue for the tourism sector in the state and the flow of visitors to these s translates into business for the sister NE states also, they said.

Moreover, eateries and hotels, besides travel agencies, are the directly benefited by it, sources said.

Safari organisers also wait for the onset of the tourist season as the bleak season means no business for them.