The state tourism department has restarted two daylong package trips for tourists on weekends - the Patna Darshan city tour and the Nalanda-Rajgir-Pawapuri tour from the state capital.

These measures are being undertaken to attract more visitors to the state as in recent times both prohibition and demonetisation have affected the tourism sector, a department official said under cover of anonymity.

"Last year also, we had launched a similar Patna Darshan tour package in the winter season from October to February," said Brajesh Kishore Singh, manager, travel and trade, Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. "We received an overwhelming response as tickets were being sold for two-three days in advance. Encouraged by this, we decided to start it again this year though this time we began the tours in summers keeping in mind the vacations."

The trip will take tourists around the city in double-decker buses. The tourists will get mineral water, newspapers, and a guide who will provide insights into the sites.

The tour will cover the Martyrs' Memorial, the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the Old Secretariat, Patna High Court, the Jallawala Hanuman Temple, Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara, Padri Ki Haveli, Agamkuan, Kumhrar and Buddha Smirti Park. The tour ends at Golghar with a laser and sound show.

"The special package tour will be available for tourists every Sunday from 7am to 8pm," Singh said. "The tour starts from Hotel Kautilya Vihar at Beerchand Patel Marg with the price for the tour being fixed at Rs 200 per head."

The daylong tour package for Nalanda-Rajgir-Pawapuri from Patna is called "executive package for summer vacation". For that tour the tourists will get air-conditioned buses. Breakfast will be served at Nalanda and lunch at Pandu Pokhar in Rajgir.

Tourists will also get tickets for ropeway and the monuments, besides newspapers and mineral water. The spots on the itinerary include Nalanda University, and tourists sites at Rajgir including ropeway, the Sonbhandar caves, Maniyar Math, hot springs, Venu Van and the Japanese Temple.

At Pawapuri, the sites include the Jal Mandir, a revered pilgrimage for Jains.

The Nalanda-Rajgir-Pawapuri excursion will cost Rs 600 per head, Singh said, adding: "This tour package will be available every Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 8pm."

The tickets for both these tours are available at counters at Hotel Kautilya Vihar.

As per the annual tourists' footfall report the state tourism department released earlier this year, at least 2.95 crore tourists came to Bihar last year which include 10.1 lakh foreign tourists.

This was only the second time in 16 years that the foreign tourist footfall crossed the 10-lakh mark in the state.