Manipulation in Ranthambore tiger safari booking exposed, penalty imposed on tourists

Jaipur: Ranthambore Tiger Reserve authorities-imposed penalties on three foreign tourists after it was found that their names didn’t match with the IDs used for booking canters and gypsies for tiger safari. The two guides were found in the tourist vehicles however they were let off with a warning.

The incident exposed how tiger safari bookings are manipulated at Ranthambore tiger reserve.

Some foreign tourists were caught while illegally visiting the tiger reserve on someone else’s booking identity on Wednesday.

When the officials checked the canters and identities of the tourists, they found out that the bookings of the safari were in some other persons’ names. The tourists were traveling the reserve illegally on another tourist’s booking.

A similar case was reported at the Ranthambore National park during Diwali. Some tourists with improper identification went for the Safari and the forest officials caught them.

The Ranthambore tiger reserve has given options including online, emergency and current booking to the tourists for Safari at the reserve.

The ticket booking process is usually done by agents and hoteliers. The department’s tourism wing issues a ticket for tourists after confirming all the identity details of the tourists with booking agents.

Recently, Ranthambore tiger reserve authorities canceled all the bookings for Tiger Safari due to the strike of workers association at Ranthambore national park. Hotel owners, canter operators, and guides the association of Ranthambore National Park were demanding to increase the number of tourists’ entry allowed into the park. The strike ended on Saturday after the forest department agreed to look into their demands and asked them to resume the tourism-related activities.