I just read in today's Times of India news paper that prices have been increased for entry into Taj Mahal and the government says it is due to inflation. I took a picture of that and this is what it says : Tickets for Taj Mahal will now cost Rs40 for Indians and for foreign nationals it would cost Rs1250. Ticket prices for all world heritage sites have also been increased. I personally believe it should be more like Rs100 for Indian nationals as well and for foreign nationals there should not be a different pricing. I have traveled the world and never seen any place charging a different price just because you have taken a 8 hour flight just to get there so now that you are here you should pay a bit more then what those people pay who live round the corner from here Does not make sense to me. I am pretty sure if the prices are raised upto Rs100 for every one then the total collection would still far exceed what they get from this differential pricing.
Wow, I just converted the 1250 rupees to US dollars online and it's close to $20 which is pretty pricey for admission to a tourist attraction, at least in comparison to the countries I have travelled to. I am surprised too by the fact that there's a different amount charged for foreigners than there is for Indian nationals. I guess perhaps it's to try and encourage people from India to see the amazing sight they have in their home country?
It has more to do with how much people would spend not to encourage in my opinion. I believe the number of visitors would come down by 50% or even more if the price was anything more then Rs200 per person. Agra is a lousy little town with nothing much to do or see except the Taj Mahal, Red fort and a couple of more monuments. If Taj wasent there it would be reduced to a village. Quality of ground water is such that the Indian air force base and the Army cantonment run their own RO (reverse osmosis) plants to supply drinking water to residents. Ground water is saline and river that flows through Agra has "black" water. No fishes or any other organisms can survive in that water. Leather industry in Agra lets untreated water flow into the river making it even worse then it already is.
That's interesting - in my head I have visions of the area all around the Taj Mahal being beautiful, so it blew my mind a little to hear it's not the most interesting town out there - and perhaps not the most environmentally friendly either. I wonder if they notice a steep decline in the amount of tourists visiting that perhaps they will again revise their pricing.
A picture is worth a thousand words : Taj Mahal is on the bank of river Yamuna and this picture is taken from behind the Taj mahal. This is something visitors to Taj Mahal never get to see I guess. That water doesn't look too black in this picture but in reality water there is more like used engine oil to put it mildly.
WOW. Not what I was expecting at all...it actually makes me sad to think that the grounds of the Taj Mahal are so beautiful and pristine and then outside it just looks like a rubbish dump. I want to go there and clean up the trash!
I think the recent price hike is just a demand supply game. I heard that the number of foreign visitors to Taj Mahal has increased to many folds these days. That may be the reason behind this high price. If there is a sharp decline in tourist visits post this hike, authorities will be forced to cut it down. It is said that ticket price for all world heritages sites has been increased, so there is a definite boom in tourism sector. Personally, I do not like this segregation between inland and foreign visitors. Prices should be almost the same, but a slight difference is understandable to encourage Indians.
The price of everything these days is going up so the admission price increasing comes as no surprise. The more people go and the more popular a place gets then they generally will increase the price. On the flip side of things, if now that the price as increased it leads to less people going then I've no doubt they'll decide to drop that price again to attract people again so it will fluctuate from year to year.
It's been increasing for years. Basically they understand that the Taj Mahal is the place every tourist wants to see and most will pay anything to get in there. It's like the London eye, no matter how exorbitant the fee, it'll get visitors all year round.
It was incredibly crowded when I went to the Taj Mahal, it is clearly down to supply and demand. To be honest I would pay that and more to see it, its easily worth it. I live close to another Worldwide heritage site, Stonehenge in England. Its probably of similar standing to the Taj Mahal in terms of Worldwide reknown and numbers of visitors but its admission price is a lot more, and really its just a load of old stones stood up in a field, nowhere near as impressive as the majesty of the Taj Mahal.
I just found out that 75% of the ticket collection goes to the local government body and only 25% to the ASI that is responsible for the maintenance of Taj Mahal. That 75% is a lot of money and looking at the state of Agra town I can safely say that the "Fat" and "useless" politicians are either sitting on the funds and not using them or if they are using them, the money is going straight into their own pockets as I don't see any improvement in the town's infrastructure. A sky way is to be built between Taj Mahal and Red Fort using the money that is collected, but it is just a proposal. I wonder what they would do about the garbage that decorates the back side of Taj which would be visible when someone takes the skyway to get to Red Fort from there
If 75% of the admission price does go to local administration then I think the money needs to be used more wisely, as the surrounding area around the Taj Mahal leaves a lot to be desired. For a tourist attraction that is so popular, surely you'd think that regenerating the local area would be a priority and that would only increase the tourism in the region, and in return would make even more money.
Yeah well thing is foreigners and travellers will most likely pay anyway. Like if you travelled from the other side of the world to India and want to see Taj Mahal, you probably wouldn't skip it regardless of how pricey the admission fee is. You've gone through so much hassle and paid a good sum of money to get there, a pricey admission fee isn't going to stop you. Of course there are other places to visit, but Taj Mahal is one of those "If you haven't visited the place, you've never been to the country" tourist destinations, if you get me.
I think that's true and in that respect they can probably charge whatever they want and it will still attract the same amount of tourists. Your not going to go to India to see the Taj Mahal and then get there and say "I'm not paying that much" and walk away. For a lot of people it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity so the price will be irrelevant.
I think that since the Taj Mahal is quite an old structure and also the tourists come over there and it is going to upset some tourists that the price is high, but the wealthy ones may not bother too much about the costs and visit it anyway. I am shocked to see the rubbish outside the structure and, am surprised the water is not safe to consume and this needs to be addressed and changed, as this may put tourists from coming to this place and also could get bad reviews and affect people from coming to this place. I reckon that the cost increased way to high, and the maintenance must cost a bit and also the wages of the workers could be covered by these costs
Update 02/04/2016 : Taj Mahal entry ticket prices increased again. I am posting a picture of the newspaper clip below : Taj Mahal entry tickets for foreign nationals will cost Rs1000 per person and for Indian nationals tickets will cost Rs70. Taj Mahal is not the only monument where prices have been increased, all ASI monuments ticket prices have gone up according to their category.
Hmmm... That's unfortunate but to be honest, from where I am, tourists are also given higher prices when it comes to historical landmarks and places. Even with activities, they are quoted with higher prices. I feel quite ashamed since I feel like it's unethical and a bit unfair for those tourists especially since they don't know they are being ripped off. I know that these people are only trying to make a living, but to the extent of taking advantage of tourists? That's not right, in my opinion. We're only driving tourists away when we do that. With the case of the Taj Mahal, I understand that it is a very popular tourist place. I do understand the need to put a fee on it because it needs some maintenance as well. It's just sad that 75% of the money isn't even going to the maintenance of the place. What's the point of raising the prices if it's not for the specific place, right? Sadly, it's government business and we cannot do much about it.
The authorities should limit the number of tourist entries per day to the Taj, as more visitors mean more pollution which has already taken a toll on the structure of this magnificent monument. But the people in power are thinking about earning more from this showpiece which is deplorable. Restrictions on the no of visitors is a must in order to preserve Tajmahal as per experts reports submitted to both the Uttar Pradesh Govt. and the GSI, but they do not seem to understand the importance of the Taj and the imminent danger it is facing
Here are the latest ticket prices for entry to the Taj Mahal (as of today, April 9, 2024): Indian Citizens and OCI Card Holders: ₹50 (Indian Rupees) Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC Countries: ₹540 (Indian Rupees) Foreign Tourists: ₹1100 (Indian Rupees) Additional Fees: Entry to the Main Mausoleum: There's an optional ₹200 (Indian Rupees) fee to enter the main mausoleum within the Taj Mahal complex. Audio Guide: You can also rent an audio guide for an additional fee (price may vary). Important Notes: Entry is free for all children below the age of 15 years (both Domestic and Foreign). These prices are inclusive of ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and ADA (Agra Development Authority) fees. It's recommended to purchase your tickets online in advance, especially during peak season, to avoid queues.
