Kerala   

Munnar’s loss is Thekkady’s gain

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

MUNNAR: Though the ongoing eviction operations in Munnar and the adjoining areas are indirectly aimed at improving tourism infrastructure in the hill station, a slowdown in tourist arrivals during the current monsoon season is causing concern to the tourism industry here. Though the monsoon is a lean season, the industry fears the trend will stretch to the prime season as well.

The widespread publicity on operations in the high ranges has had an adverse impact on tourism in Munnar, says Anish P. Varghese, secretary, Munnar Hotels and Resorts Association. There has been a 30 to 35 per cent decline in the tourist arrivals during the current monsoon season, he says.

The eviction drive has sent a wrong message to tour operators outside the State. Hill stations such as Kodaikanal and Ootacamund are the beneficiaries as they are promoted as alternative destinations by the tour operators, says Mr. Anish. He also apprehends a fall in the arrivals during the prime season as the bookings for September-October have already begun.

But the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) authorities have a different take. Chikungunya has played spoilsport, says DTPC secretary Joykutty George. The continuous spell of heavy rain also affected tourism for a few days.

Meanwhile, Thekkady, situated around 100 km from Munnar, is gaining strength from tourism activity. Nearly 3,000 more tourists visited Thekkady in June this year in comparison to the same period last year. The tourism promotion campaign called ‘Clean Thekkady’ contributed to the achievement.

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