KOCHI: Tourism Professional Club (TPC), an organised body of tourism stakeholders, organised a silent protest march on Tuesday demanding exemption of the sector from hartals. Around 600 members marched to Rajendra Maiden from Marine Drive. “Frequent hartals have affected the tourism industry badly. We are receiving numerous cancellations these days. Vehicles are blocked and tourists threatened,” said Ratheesh R Nair, CEO of TPC.
Already hit by the Nipah outbreak and the flood, the tourism industry cannot afford further troubles. “Already, 90 per cent of the tourist bookings were cancelled following the flood. The hartal only causes huge revenue loss to the industry. Tourist vehicles and tourism destinations should be exempted from the hartals,” he said.
A bus carrying 24 German nationals was blocked and stoned by protestors in Kozhikode during the hartal on Saturday. The state has witnessed a shortfall of 1.45 lakh domestic and foreign tourists during the flood. Protests were also held in Thiruvananthapuram, Munnar, Thekkady, Wagamon and Wayanad.
Total number of hartals
In 2018 (Stats by Say No to Hartal)
(Local, district and state-wide)
Total - 97
BJP and affiliated outfits - 31
UDF - 23
Left - 17
In 2017
Total - 120
BJP and affiliated outfits - 47
UDF - 32
Left - 21