COIMBATORE: Though hoteliers and traders in Ooty say their business has fallen by 60-70 percent after demonetisation, the flow of tourists has been steady after the initial few days. Five popular tourist spots maintained by the Horticulture Department continue to attract visitors, officials said.
“Except for a few days after the Prime Minister announced the demonetisation, the arrival of tourists has been normal,” said N Mani, Joint Director of Horticulture Department.
“In November, 2,80,259 tourists visited the Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, Kattery, Sims Park and Doddabetta. This is more than the number of visitors in November last year,” he added. But the tourist flow came down drastically for a couple of days following the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, he said.
There were 4,19,853 visitors in Ocotober, when a large number of people arrive from neighbouring States like Karnataka and Kerala in view of the Dasara and Deepavali holidays.
“To promote cashless transactions, we plan to have swiping machines at the Botanical Garden, Rose Garden and Sim’s Park. This will ease business and prevent frequent quarrels between staff and tourists for small change. We are also encouraging tourists to register online before visiting. We have also posted staff to register online and issue tickets at these spots,” said Mani.