More than 31,000 tourists visited the iconic Taj Mahal over the past week, resulting in a boost to Agra tourism industry. The increased footfall attributed to the extended Diwali vacations.

The extended Diwali vacations this year came as a blessing for the tourism industry of Agra, as over 31,000 tourists visited the iconic Taj Mahal, despite being pestered by hordes of monkeys.

Tourists were lined up at the iconic monument for hours to buy tickets, while online tickets were being sold by unscrupulous elements in black.

Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber secretary Vishal Sharma said that the Taj Mahal has witnessed a huge increase in tourist footfall over the past week due to Diwali vacations, but the lack of proper facilities at the Taj for the tourists was clearly evident. The queues were stretched for several hundred meters and, without any shade, they had to bear the heat under the sun.

Long queues were witnessed even at the main dome of the monument even though there is a separate ticket for the main dome.

Taj Mahal has been the highest revenue-generating monument for about a decade.