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Tsunami dampens spirits

By Our Staff Reporter

KOVALAM, DEC. 28. Red flags, tan-seekers basking under coconut palms, fishermen repairing damaged nets and empty shops and restaurants are what greet visitors to the international beach resort now.

The authorities have banned access to the beaches and the sea since Sunday afternoon following the tsunami. This has dampened the spirit of the foreign and domestic tourists alike.

Deserted look

A tourist from the United States, Maxwell, ventured out to the Eve's beach to perform yoga, ignoring the warnings of lifeguards and the police. The beaches of the resort, which used to swarm with tourists during the Christmas and New Year season, wear a deserted look.

Many tourists who had arrived before Sunday have left for hill stations and the backwaters, causing panic among the travel trade and hospitality industry. Those forced to stay back are confined to their rooms. Over a dozen foreign tourists could be spotted basking in the sun underneath the coconut palms behind the Eve's and Light House beaches.

"I am disappointed as I cannot swim. I am staying back in the hope that the authorities will allow us to go into the sea from Wednesday", says Jameson, a London-based lawyer. He was one among those who witnessed the tsunami on Sunday.

"I was swimming and suddenly the water level rose near the Light House. I swam ashore along with a few others. It is the first time that I was witnessing such a phenomenon," says Mr. Jameson.

Paula Clarke, a receptionist from London, who came along with Mr. Jameson, says she is also disappointed as the beach and the sea are now out of bounds. "We came here for the sea and the sun. I am here for two-and-a-half weeks and will leave for Varkala and Alappuzha soon," she says.

Michael Turner, a heavy goods vehicle driver, and Sharon Lane, a researcher, from the Midlands in the United Kingdom, said they had come here ignoring the warnings of relatives and media reports that the whole of South India is affected by the tsunami that lashed the coasts of South India.

"We checked with the hotel authorities where we had booked the rooms and then decided to come. We were very nervous as the flight, which was fully occupied till Doha had just 30 passengers, including four Europeans, on the journey from Doha to Thiruvananthapuram. We are disappointed as we have to confine ourselves to the walkway and restaurants," says Ms. Lane.

Apart from the hotels and restaurants, people leasing out beach umbrellas and chairs, fruit and tender coconuts sellers and garment sellers are among those affected by the hasty departure of tourists. The shops selling handicraft items, artefacts and beachwear run by Kashmiris wore a deserted look.

"We were expecting a good season as there was steady flow of tourists till Saturday. The business has dwindled after the tsunami. There has been a sharp fall in tourist arrivals. Those who arrive make a hasty retreat as access to the sea and the beach has been denied," says R. Satheesh, who runs a restaurant near the Eve's beach.

The travel industry avers that the remaining tourists will also leave the resort if access to the beaches continues to remain restricted on Wednesday.

A police team led by the Sub-Inspector (Kovalam), D. Asokan, is patrolling the beaches along with the 20-member Tourism police and 12 lifeguards of Kerala Tourism.

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