As the second wave of COVID-19 hit India, all the public places went under lockdown. This hit national tourism and the whole travel industry came to a standstill with the surge in the COVID-19 cases.
But as the cases have started decreasing, the Taj Mahal—one of the seven wonders of the world—is re-opening. After remaining closed for two months, the monument was opened for tourists on June 16, 2021.
So Agra Development Authority (ADA) wants to ensure the safety of visitors. To do it, they have initiated various measures. One of them is—the new e-ticket booking system.
These e-tickets come with a unique QR Code. For the uninitiated, QR Codes are square-shaped barcodes that store information. When scanned using a smartphone, they show the encoded content to the end-users.
And they ensure the safety of visitors while offering a hassle-free experience.
That’s because the traditional paper-based tickets are prone to disease-spread. And the pandemic has taught us how important it is to go contactless. Hence, it makes sense to use e-tickets.
Keep reading to know more about the ADA’s new e-ticket system for the Taj Mahal.
A. Taj Mahal’s e-ticket booking system
The Agra Development Authority (ADA) has decided to end the paper-based ticketing system. Hence, they have launched an e-ticket booking system at the Taj Mahal.
Tourists can buy the tickets from the ADA website only. It allows tourists to book up to five tickets using one phone number.
These e-tickets come with a unique QR Code. The ADA staff members can scan the QR Code to authenticate visitor entry at the monument.
Hence, from purchasing the ticket to entering the monument, everything has gone contactless. And why not?
Contactless arrangements help adhere to social distancing norms. And, hence, ensure the safety of both the tourists and the ADA staff members.
To keep the footfall under control, they will permit only 650 visitors inside the monument at a time. Even then, visitors will have to follow the social distancing protocols. And when inside the premises, they’ll be barred from touching any object.
To book a ticket, the tourists just have to upload their identification details on the portal. HDFC Bank has prepared the software to enable this. Also, visitors from abroad need to pay INR 500 as toll tax. Once they do this, they won’t have to buy an ADA toll tax ticket for any other monument in Agra.
B. Benefits of the e-ticket system
1. Contactless
Since the pandemic, people have been skeptical of physical contact. Hence, we’ve seen a sudden burst in contactless technology. And public ticket counters are a strict no against it. Why? Because they don’t ensure adherence to the norms of social distancing and contactless arrangements.
But ADA has taken an initiative to ensure tourists’ safety. All that passengers have to do is—buy the ticket from the ADA website and walk down to the monument. Tickets contain a QR Code which, when scanned by ADA staff, helps grant entry to the visitors.
Hence, no scope of contact between tourists at any point of their visit.
In addition, Vasant Kumar Swarnakar, ASI, Agra Circle, said that the Taj Mahal will be sanitized three times a day. This will help keep visitors and staff safe.
2. Convenient
Since tourists can now book tickets online, there’s no need for them to wait in long queues.
Furthermore, ADA staff members don’t have to check ticket details manually to verify it. They can just scan the QR Code available on each ticket to grant entries.
That’s it. That is all you need to know about the Taj Mahal’s new e-ticket booking system. Also, in case you’re interested, here are some use cases on how QR Codes are ensuring social distancing.
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