More than 95 lakh tourists visited the hilly district of Kodagu during the last two and a half years.
According to information provided by officials of the Tourism Department at a recent meeting of the Kodagu District Tourism Development Committee, the district had recorded 43.69 lakh tourists in 2023 and 45.72 lakh in 2024.
Sharing these numbers, Anita Bhaskar, Deputy Director of Tourism, Madikeri, said that Kodagu accounted for 23 out of the 778 tourist destinations identified under the Karnataka Tourism Policy 2020-26.
The tourist destinations in Kodagu included Raja Seat, Madikeri Fort, Abbey Falls, Mandalpatti, Harangi Reservoir, Mallalli Falls, Iruppu Falls, Dubare, Chikkahole, General Thimmayya Museum, and Nagarhole National Park among others.
A request had been made to shift the Talacauvery-Bhagamandala temples from the list of tourist sites to the list of spiritual destinations, the official said.
A total of 2,300 homestays in Kodagu district had been registered online and certified. This is in addition to the 150 hotels and resorts operational in the district, out of which 53 are officially registered on the Tourism Department’s portal.
Mandalpatti
The scenic peaks of Mandalpatti have been selected for development through Public Private Partnership (PPP) under the One District One Destination scheme.
The Galibeedu Gram Panchayat had approved the infrastructure development at Mandalpatti with an allocation of ₹50 lakh. However, as Mandalpatti falls under the Forest Department, cooperation of the Department has been sought for the repair of roads and other related works, the official said.
Referring to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s announcement on development of water sports and adventure tourism in his Budget speech of 2024-25 , the official said that Harangi reservoir will be open for such activities under Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), while rafting licenses had been granted for Dubare in Kushalnagar and Barpuhole in Ponnampet.
Ms. Bhaskar said that the Tourism Department had sought approval from the Lake Development Authority to float tenders for rafting, kayaking, canoeing, wind surfing, jet skiing, and water zorbing at Honnamana Kere, a tourist destination in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district, which already has attractions like hills and caves.
Children’s mini train
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu Venkat Raja, who presided over the meeting, said steps will be taken to start a children’s mini train at Raja Seat after receiving a report from the engineers of South Western Railways.
He said that engineers from the Railways had already inspected the site and gathered details with regard to the proposal to start a children’s mini train.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / July 31st, 2025
