KOCHI: The shock waves of the blasts that rocked Sri Lanka are being felt by the hospitality industry at Fort Kochi too. Due to the alerts and checks carried out by the Police, a lot of hotels and homestays in the region are seeing a drop in customer arrivals. According to Vineetha Willie, manager, Old Harbor Hotel, the reason might be the confusion among the public. She said, “I live close by. The level of fear can be gauged by the instructions given by the priest of the nearby church. Because the attacks took place in the churches in Sri Lanka, we, as Christians, are especially scared. Last week marked the beginning of the Edappally church feast, but I was too scared to send my mother.”
She added, "Though it is not the peak season, there has been definitely a drop in the tourist, both domestic and foreigners, arrivals. The hotels would have been fully booked by now for the upcoming Thrissur Pooram but the bookings are minimal this year.” Many of the tourists, she says, aren’t aware of the situation. “Some people keep themselves updated via media and other means. They regularly check with us about the current status.”
The manager of the Park Avenue Hotel, Mohammed Jishad, claims the alerts have hit the hospitality sector drastically. He said, "both local and foreign crowds are afraid and don’t want to take the risk.” He goes on to say that the police should have carried out their searches in mufti and the media should have been kept out of it. On the whole, it is a divided house. However, the general consensus remains that the police in the region are efficient. The close proximity of the station and the goodwill of the police officers has been praised by most hotels and resorts.
Fleur Bernard, a citizen of France, vacationing in Fort Kochi said, “The police of the region are very helpful. We didn’t know about the alert and they’ve been helping us with security and such throughout our trip. Their mere presence makes us feel safe, in spite of the apparent threat.”
However, some of the hoteliers said they have not been particularly affected. According to Jerin Joseph, front desk manager, Hotel Forte Kochi, they haven’t been particularly affected by the alert, because the month of April is usually the off-season. "Also, the protocols enforced are not something new to our hotel. We used to carry these out even before the police notice them. There is not much change.” However, he said, “Of course, some people are scared. They’d rather not risk their lives by coming to threatened zones.”