Rajasthan plans to introduce a unified smart card for tourist site entry

The Rajasthan government is working on a system under which tourists will have access to multiple monuments and transport facilities through a single smart card.

A portal will be developed by the department of information technology under the plan for which the tourism department is the nodal agency and transport department is also a part. An official of the tourism department said initially, tourists will have access to multiple monuments through one smart card which will have to be recharged.

“A portal will be developed for this purpose. The tourists will have the convenience to visit the monuments without purchasing tickets at each monument. One single card will be valid at government protected monuments in the state. Integration of this card will be done with the services of roadways,” the official said.

He said in the initial phase, only super luxury buses will be included in the service for intrastate travel. Another official said the validity of the smart cards will be decided in such a manner that it can also help in crowd management at monuments. “Depending upon the response of the system, the service will be expanded and private museums or monuments will also be covered under this. This will end the requirement to stand in queue for tickets and will save time and resources,” the official said.

“The scope of this system is large. Integration of other tourist services that include stay in Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) owned hotels, private hotels and resorts, cab services can also be done after successful implementation at a smaller scale,” he added.

Gajendra Singh, a tourist guide based in Udaipur, said ticket purchase has become a time consuming exercise for tourists, particularly during peak seasons and if this system is rolled out, it will give a significant ease to the travellers.

“Such a system will definitely give a positive message about the tourism industry of the state,” he said. Tourism is one of the key industries in Rajasthan, with 1087.5 lakh tourists visiting the state in 2022. Apart from forts and palaces, wildlife, lakes and religious places in Rajasthan also attract a large number of tourists from the country and abroad, including the US, France, UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and Australia.