Entry fee for ASI monuments hiked

The government today effected a three-fold hike in the entry fee for 116 monuments under ASI for domestic visitors and 100 per cent for foreign tourists.
For the 32 'World Heritage Monuments', the ticket price has been increased to Rs 30 from Rs 10 for the domestic visitor, while the entry fee for foreign nationals has been hiked to Rs 500 from Rs 250, according to an official statement.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries are treated at par with Indians and are charged similarly.
For monuments other than the World Heritage ones, the entry fee has been increased three-fold to Rs 15 from Rs 5 for the domestic visitor, while foreigners will have to pay Rs 200 against Rs 100.

"The enhancement comes after a period of more than 15 years as the last increase took place in 2000...The enhanced rates are at par with entry fee at monuments abroad," the statement said.
Justifying the move, the Culture Ministry said this would not only boost the economy of the sector but also help in providing better services and amenities to tourists.
Last year, the ministry had announced that it would implement the hike in entry fee for monuments across the country from November 1 but it was postponed due to pressure from the tourism lobby.