Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park will be thrown open to tourists from Saturday post monsoon. The Corbett and Rajaji authorities have completed preparations for the tourist season. The State authorities are looking forward to the reopening of Corbett and following their closure because of the monsoon since June 2014.
Corbett Tiger Reserve wildlife warden SC Upadhyaya said that all preparations have been completed for the reopening. The Jhirna and Bijrani eco-tourism zones were already open for visitors while the Dhikala zone with night-stay facility will be opened for visitors from November 15. The sixth and new eco-tourism zone in Corbett-Dhela will be opened to visitors from December, he added. Meanwhile, necessary arrangements have also been completed at Rajaji for the reopening.
Corbett and Rajaji are popular destinations for wildlife lovers and tourists from across India and abroad with Corbett attracting a greater number of visitors. However, following the June 2013 disaster, there had been huge drop in the number of tourists visiting Uttarakhand. In 2013-14, a total of 2, 11,675 tourists including 5,262 foreigners visited Corbett generating a revenue of more than Rs7 crore. The State Government is hoping that opening of the Dhela eco-tourism zone will further boost the number of tourists to Corbett and elsewhere in the State.