SHIVAMOGGA: Tourism has been affected slightly in the district this year due to the recurrence of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) and heavy rains and floods that battered the district.
As a result, there has been a significant decrease in the number of tourists, including foreigners, visiting the district.
Sources in the District Health and Family Welfare Department said that the KFD, which infected 342 people in the district from December 2018 to April 2019, claimed 12 lives.
According to sources in the district administration, flood-affected over 5,500 families and a vast area of land, besides claiming the lives of 10 people.
All these have impacted tourism in the district.
According to data obtained from the Tourism Department, only 14,96,203 tourists (including 2,294 foreigners) visited the district from January to August this year as against 24,55,150 (including 4,951 foreigners) from January to December last year.
From January to December last year, 24,50,199 domestic tourists and 4,951 foreigners visited the district.
The most visited destinations by foreigners were Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, Tiger and Lion Safari at Tyavarekoppa and Jog Falls. Domestic tourists visited most Chandragutti Temple which is a religious place, Jog Falls, Sigandur Temple which is a religious place, Tiger and Lion Safari, Kuvempu Museum at Kuppalli and Shivappa Nayaka Museum in Shivamogga city.
From January to August, foreigners visited Tiger and Lion Safari, Jog Falls and Sakrebailu Elephant Camp the most. Domestic tourists visited most the Chandragutti Temple, Sigandur Temple, Jog Falls and Kuvempu Museum at Kuppalli.
Data shows that about two lakh tourists visited the district every month on an average last year but the same has come down to 1.8 lakh from January to August this year.
“The number of tourists’ visit in summer was affected due to the KFD. We had asked all the homestays to temporarily close the homestays as the KFD was spreading rapidly. The district has 28 homestays officially. Most of them are situated in Thirthahalli, Hosanagara and Sagar taluks. The closure of homestays due to the KFD reduced the number of tourists visiting the district,” assistant director of tourism department, Hanuma Naik, told The New Indian Express.
He said that the tourists also avoided visiting the district in monsoon season due to heavy rain and floods. “There was heavy flood this year. It made the tourists abstain from visiting the district,” he added.