Tourism sector in troubled waters

Varghese K, a tourist boat owner from Mattancherry, was busy for the last couple of months. 
Passenger tourist boats docked near Marine Drive in Ernakulam. The spike in Covid cases and the subsequent restrictions will hit the tourism industry hard. (Photo| Albin Mathew)
Passenger tourist boats docked near Marine Drive in Ernakulam. The spike in Covid cases and the subsequent restrictions will hit the tourism industry hard. (Photo| Albin Mathew)

KOCHI: Kochi’s tourism sector received an unexpected jolt with the Covid-19 second wave. Since the industry suffered huge losses during last year’s lockdown, boat owners and other stakeholders had been hoping to cash in on the uptick in tourist arrivals this vacation season

Varghese K, a tourist boat owner from Mattancherry, was busy for the last couple of months. 
He renovated his passenger boat to seat 35 people and had been pinning his hopes on the coming vacation season to tide over the losses he suffered due to last year’s lockdown. However, his expectations were shattered by the second wave of the pandemic. 

In fact, the entire tourism sector has started feeling the heat of the pandemic again.“It’s frustrating to realise that the efforts and money we put in to revive our business might have been in vain. Life has been at a standstill since last year’s lockdown. Those depending on us have also suffered. If not Covid, poverty would take many lives if things go on like this,” says Varghese.

Many have made up their mind to leave the tourism sector forever. “Suffering deep loss for two consecutive years is unimaginable for many of us. Some of us have already started menial works and are thinking about migrating to cities like Bengaluru and Chennai for better opportunities,” said Antony P V, a boat driver.

Thanks to the spike in Covid cases, many domestic tourists are cancelling their trips to the state. “We had been expecting a brisk vacation season this April-May. However, the unexpected spurt in Covid cases has upset our plans. As international tourists are staying away due to travel restrictions, many of us had pinned our hopes on domestic tourists, especially those from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Now, with the mandatory quarantine directive, the footfall will come down to an unprecedented low,” said T K Faisal, a tourism facilitator.

Empty homestays 
Kochi’s homestays are also finding it difficult to survive. “In the absence of international tourists we were looking forward for an inflow of domestic tourists. We never imagined a second wave of the pandemic would spell doom for our businesses,” said M P Sivadathan, director of Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (K-HATS). 

There are 350 registered homestays and more than 2,000 unregistered homestays across Kerala. According to industry stakeholders, the prolonged wait for the restrictions on movement to end prompted city residents to take one-day trips to various tourist destinations since last November. 

“People have gradually realised the need to ‘live with Covid-19’. To capitalise on this trend, our homestays in hilly areas and backwaters have reduced the rates to facilitate maximum tourists. However, things changed rapidly with the arrival of the second wave. If the officials concerned do not allow us to run our business, by adhering to the Covid protocol, the sector will face irreparable damage,” said Sivadathan. 

‘PUBLIC HEALTH IS A PRIORITY’

District Tourism Promotion Council officials clarified that ensuring public safety will be their priority in the wake of Covid-19 second wave. “The unexpected surge in Covid cases will impact the revival of the tourism sector. We were gradually recovering from the damage done by last year’s Covid-induced lockdown. We opened our destinations with restricted entry from November 2020 and have been getting sizeable footfall during weekends.

That said, we don’t have many options. Public health will be our priority in these testing times,” said a DTPC official. Before Covid cases saw an unprecedented spike, the tourism department had planned several packages such as trips to various locations in the district and nearby places. The packages included trips to locations like Thattekkad-Boothathankettu, Kochi city tour, Alappuzha-Fort Kochi, Kochi-Athirappilly, and Munnar and Thekkady.  

As part of increased measures to tackle Covid-19, the department is now allowing only 200 persons at a time to tourist destinations across the state. The department has also restricted the entry of children and senior citizens to these areas. “If the cases continue to rise, we will be forced to take stringent measures,” said the official.

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