THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With the advent of monsoon, hill tourism in the district has gained momentum with beaches being washed out by the rough sea. Ponmudi hills, a prime tourist attraction, has led the way.The site has always been a favourite among locals. However, of late it has also become a magnet to non-Malayalis. According to Ajay Sreenivas, a tourist guide, there is an evident increase in their number. "The number of people within the district was high in the previous years but this year witnessed a huge crowd from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh," he said.
"The hills enveloped by fog is an elegant sigh. The road has 22 hairpin curves but the view from the hilltop is worth the travel," said Bharath Kiriyath, a visitor.Hill tourism has also become a boon for the eateries and resorts at Ponmudi. “Rooms are fully booked during the weekend. The availability of rooms is less during weekdays too as visitors prefer to stay back," said Harikumar, who works with KTDC’s Golden Peak Resort.
According to the data provided by Vana Samrakshana Samithi, as many as 2, 777 vehicles were registered at the counter to the uphill on Sunday. "A huge crowd was witnessed in the past five days, especially on Sunday. It has been marked as the busiest day at Ponmudi in recent history," said Rahul R, executive member of Vana Samrakshana Samithy.
"We were unable to manage the crowd on Sunday. Over 700 vehicles were sent back and 300 vehicles were given free entry to the hilltop to reduce traffic congestion on Sunday," he said.However, the traffic snarls at Ponmudi have disappointed tourists. "We did not expect an increase in visitors. Later, guides and locals were given classes to manage the crowd," said Ajay.
In order to manage the huge inflow of tourists, the ticketing arena at Ponmudi eco-tourism centre will soon be equipped with online booking system. "New rules and regulations will be implemented along with the online ticket system in Ponmudi to avoid traffic congestion," said Sunil Kumar S, section forest officer, Ponmudi Eco-Tourism.