KOTTAYAM: Flooded roads have cut off the backwater tourism destination of Kumarakom. Munnar has remained almost isolated for a week after all the roads leading to the hill station were damaged in torrential rain. The inundated resorts in Alappuzha are unable to accommodate tourists. Above all, the Cochin International Airport has been shut since last Wednesday.
Given the cumulative effect of all these, the tourism industry has nosedived after being on an upward trajectory for a decade. The back-to-back jolts, starting from the Nipah virus outbreak in May, strong monsoon in June and the deluge in August, have cost the tourism industry dear. The sector has come to a standstill over the past two weeks.
“This is something unusual. The deluge has created widespread damage in the tourist industry,” said, P Subrahmanian, director (operations), Udaya Samudra Group. “Apart from leading to cancellation of bookings, it inflicted huge infrastructure loss to the hospitality sector with floodwater entering the rooms of several resorts, especially in Wayanad, Alappuzha and Kumarakom.”Water is yet to recede from many of the resorts on the banks of Vembanad Lake in Kumarakom, inflicting severe damage to its swimming pool, furniture and rooms.
With huge rain-related damages reported in Wayanad, Idukki (Munnar), Kottayam (Kumarakom) and Alappuzha, the most attractive destinations after Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, the loss is something unimaginable.
“We are yet to assess the loss and damage to the tourism industry. However, the impact will be severe as Munnar is still not fully connected, flights have not resumed and major destinations like Kochi and Alappuzha suffered heavily. Bookings were cancelled completely for the past two weeks,” said Tourism director P Bala Kiran.
The industry, which recorded a decent growth in the first quarter, slipped to negative growth in the second quarter following the outbreak of Nipah. It turned worse in the beginning of the third quarter following heavy rain.
According to statistics with the Tourism Department, there was an increase of 47,656 footfalls in foreign tourists in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year, recording 12.13 per cent growth. Similarly, the inflow of domestic tourists was 18.57 per cent higher in the first quarter, registering an increase of six lakh tourists.
“The tourism industry has been in trouble for the past four months, and the deluge has aggravated the crisis,” said E M Najeeb, senior vice-president, Indian Association of Tour Operators.“It will take some time to restore the rhythm of growth as resetting connectivity, cleaning the destinations and regaining the confidence of tourists will be time-consuming efforts. We have to work hard to allay the safety concerns of tourists.”