Kerala - Kattappana   

Tourists trickling back into Thekkady

KATTAPPANA: Around 1,225 tourists, including 103 children, visited Thekkady on Saturday, according to records available at the entrance checking point of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR). The number of foreign tourists was 47.

An official at the Tourism Information Centre of the PTR said that tourists’ inflow into Thekkady was picking up though the shadow of the boat tragedy still loomed over the much-in-demand tourist sport.

Forty-five tourists, mostly from outside Kerala, had drowned when ‘Jalakanyaka,’ a boat operated by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) capsized in Thekkady on September 30.

Following the tragedy, booking in hotels and home stay facilities has dropped drastically. Many bookings were cancelled too.

Tourists from abroad had stayed away for a while.

“When compared to the beginning of the tourist season last year, this is a very low turnout,” the official said.

Since Saturday was a holiday on account of Deepavali, more domestic tourists were expected to arrive. “The tourist season has just begun. A clear picture will emerge only by December end,” said the manager of a hotel group.

About 30 persons, including 12 foreigners, undertook trekking in the forest, which is a major tourism attraction after boating.

The main eco-tourism projects in Thekkady include bamboo rafting, tiger trail, forest trekking, nature walk, green walk border sighting and bullock cart ride. Except bamboo rafting and tiger trail, all other programmes are now available for the tourists.

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