The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : ‘Jal' dampens tourists' spirits

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Wednesday, Nov 10, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

‘Jal' dampens tourists' spirits

Nivedita Ganguly

Hotels, resorts witness low occupancy rate during last week

APTDC has operated all its tour packages despite
low tourist inflow
Some tourists have visited Araku Valley braving inclement weather

VISAKHAPATNAM: ‘Jal' cyclone not only kept the people and officials on tenterhooks, but also played spoilsport with the travel plans of many a tourist visiting this part of the country. Incessant rains and inclement weather last week kept many tourists away from Visakhapatnam.

“We received several enquiries about the weather condition and there were a few instances of cancellation of bookings,” Haritha of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) told The Hindu. However, APTDC operated all its tour packages though the tourist inflow was low compared to last year.

Officials of APTDC said that the tourist inflow had gone down this year due to unpredictable rains and cyclonic weather patterns in the city. While the months of October and November are the peak tourist season in the region, the occupancy rate at most of the hotels and resorts in the city was below 70 per cent during the past week.

Even while grappling with heavy rainfall, Araku did not shut its doors to tourists.

“We may not have received the highest number of tourists this season, but rain and inclement weather have not stopped tourists from coming to the valley,” said Haritha.

Subhash and his wife, who were here on a four-day trip from Kolkata, said that there were doubtful about their plan till the last minute due to the cyclone.

“But we couldn't go out much since the weather was quite unpredictable in the city,” they said.

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