Julia Roberts visits Jaipur, enjoys sightseeing, elephant rides

Jaipur, Jan 22 (IANS) 'Pretty Woman' Julia Roberts came holidaying to the picturesque Indian city of Jaipur with her husband and kids, went sightseeing and enjoyed elephant and camel cart rides.

Roberts, who arrived in the city Tuesday afternoon, was staying at the luxury resort of Oberoi Rajvilas. She spent two days in the historic city.

A source at the hotel told IANS, 'She stayed at our hotel with her husband and kids. On Wednesday she went sightseeing - saw the City Palace and Amber Fort - after which she went to a private farmhouse in Kukas place near Amber Fort where she enjoyed elephant riding for over an hour.'

He said the Hollywood actress spent over three hours at the farmhouse. 'First she took an elephant ride, then she went on a camel cart ride around the area. She also had her lunch there,' the source said.

'She checked out this morning (Thursday) at around 9 a.m.,' he added.

The 41-year-old actress reportedly loved sightseeing around the Amber Fort, situated 11 km away from the city centre.

The tourism industry of Rajasthan is happy with the visit of the celebrity - that comes after the Mumbai terror attacks.

'After the Mumbai terror attack and the economic woes in the West, we were not getting very many tourists to the city. With a famous personality like Julia Roberts visiting the city, we are hoping that more foreign tourists would visit the state soon,' said Navendu Goswami, a Jaipur-based travel agent.

Roberts had starred opposite Richard Gere in the romantic comedy 'Pretty Woman' in the early 1990s.