The very first tour of Jaipur's Palace on Wheels, which was to start from December 22, Friday, has been postponed. Sources inform that the train did not get enough number of bookings for this tour, and therefore it has been cancelled this time.
Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), which runs the train, has now decided to run the train from December 29, but refrained of stating the exact reason of cancelling the maiden tour.
"It has not been cancelled, it will start from 29th. A new train is being launched ,the bookings are being made," Pradeep Borad, special secretary, Department of Tourism, said while speaking to DNA.
Notably, the announcement of the new train was made by state tourism minister (independent charge) Krishnendra Kaur (Deepa) and ACS (tourism) NC Goel during the press conference to list the government's achievements in the last 4 years. They had declared that this new train will start from December 22
Officials from the tourism department had been claiming that they have got 15-20 bookings for the tour on December 22, however, they are now claiming that the bookings were meant for December 29 tour of the train.
Sources claimed that there is speculation that the marketing of the expensive train was weak and thus it could not attract tourists.
When DNA tried to know the exact number of bookings the train had received, officials informed the Palace on Wheels was getting bookings in good numbers but refrained from disclosing the exact numbers.
This time the train was to take the golden triangle route covering Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra .
Officers were specially sent to London during the world travel mart few weeks bac to do the marketing of the train .
