By IANS
Jaipur : Tourists in Rajasthan can now rent motorcycles to visit their favourite holiday destinations. It is a novel scheme modelled on one that has proved a huge success in Goa.
Rajasthan, India’s desert state popular for its spectacular forts, palaces and sand dunes, has been a favourite destination for foreign and domestic tourists.
The charges of renting the motorcycle are “very reasonable” thanks to the government’s decision to cut road tax by three percent on the purchase of bikes under the “Rent a Motorcycle” scheme.
So far, the scheme has been operational in Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, Mount Abu, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, where 12 licensees have permits to run 70 motorcycles. Now the scheme will be expanded to the entire state. The department has also decided to issue more licences and identity cards for drivers.
Provision for a special dress code for drivers and a special number for each motorcycle is also being considered. The colour of the motorcycles will be black or yellow.
If tourists don’t know how to drive motorcycles, they can hire a driver.
With a record arrival of more than 1.2 million foreign tourists and 17 million domestic tourists during 2005-06, Rajasthan has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
The total spending by tourists in the state annually is estimated at Rs.10 billion.