The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Avian flu: hotel industry hit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Avian flu: hotel industry hit

Staff Reporter

Demand for dishes made from chicken and eggs comes down

Thiruvananthapuram: With panic gripping the State following reports of bird flu in Maharashtra, the demand for chicken and eggs and dishes made from them in wayside eateries to upmarket restaurants and hotels in the city has come down over the past four days.

A pall of gloom has descended over many restaurants and hotels in the city and the beach resort of Kovalam. Although the tourist season is coming to a close, the foreign tourists who come to dine at the restaurants shoot a volley of questions at the employees. "They want to know whether it is safe to eat chicken and egg. Many skip the dishes made from chicken and egg even for breakfast," says a hotelier.

"It is a big setback to the hotel industry as the demand for dishes made from chicken has come down to just 10 per cent after the reporting of avian flu," D. Chandrasenan Nair, secretary general, South Kerala Hoteliers Forum, says.

The orders for dishes made from chicken and eggs have also come down at Hotel Mascot, the flagship hotel of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) in the State capital.

However, the demand for dishes made from beef and mutton has not gone up. Mr. Nair said the main problem facing the industry was that it was not aware from where the chicken was supplied to them. "The hoteliers have decided not to provide chicken dishes till the Government gives a green signal to the industry," he added. Meanwhile, the sale of chicken and eggs has plummeted following the panic. Those running the shops and cold storages are finding it difficult to exhaust the stock.

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