Friendless dollar is turned away at the gates of the Taj Mahal
Ashling O�Connor in Bombay � The Times November 20, 2007 The Taj Mahal and other top tourist sites in India are refusing to accept dollars to pay for admission, dealing another blow to the prestige of the weakened American currency. Entry tickets to the world famous Mughal tomb in Agra and about 120 sites run by the Archaeological Survey of India will be available only at a fixed rupee rate after the dollar lost more than 12 per cent of its value against the local currency this year. Tourists had been encouraged to pay in dollars where possible, a legacy of the time when foreign currency was difficult to come by because of India�s cash inflow restrictions. However, with the fall of the dollar against most other leading currencies and the surge of the rupee on the back of India�s booming and liberalised economy, the greenback will no longer be welcome at the door. As a result, tourists will pay nearly a third more to enter India�s top tourist attractions by paying in rupees than the pre...
