The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has introduced advance online ticketing for four popular tourist destinations in Kodaikanal to reduce traffic congestion and entry delays during the Dussehra holiday period, officials said on October 16.
Visitors can pay entry fees through the official website, https://kodaikanalwildlifesanctuary.com/, before travelling and enter the forest department-managed sites by showing either a digital or printed receipt. The destinations covered are Pillar Rocks, Guna Caves, Pine Forest and Moir Point.
Kodaikanal, a hill station in Dindigul district, receives a heavy influx of visitors from across the country during holiday periods. The increased tourist movement has frequently affected approach roads to the attractions, with delays at ticket counters contributing to congestion, according to forest officials.
Entry fees were earlier collected separately at each tourist spot. Authorities later introduced a centralised manual ticketing system, but officials said this also resulted in congestion on arterial roads. On-site QR code payments were subsequently brought in, but unreliable cellular connectivity in the hilly terrain caused long queues and delays for motorists.
The department also installed QR code kiosks at more than 10 locations, but officials said the arrangement did not sufficiently ease congestion during peak hours. The repeated changes point to a practical challenge in managing visitor access in a hill station where narrow or crowded approach roads can quickly become bottlenecks.
The advance ticketing system was devised through coordination between the Dindigul District Collector, the Superintendent of Police and the District Forest Officer, official sources said. The arrangement shifts the payment and ticketing process away from the entry points, where vehicles and visitors had previously accumulated during busy periods.
For tourists, the system requires advance planning and access to the official website before reaching Kodaikanal. Visitors who complete the payment can retain the receipt digitally or carry a printed copy for presentation at the destination. Forest officials have urged travellers to book before arriving to avoid delays at the entry points and ensure smoother access to the four tourist sites.
The initiative is being introduced as the holiday influx increases demand on Kodaikanal’s roads and visitor facilities. Its immediate implementation will determine whether advance payments can reduce queues more effectively than manual counters, on-site QR payments and kiosks, all of which had earlier failed to prevent peak-hour congestion, according to the department.
