THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the initial buoyancy, the tourism sector in the state has once again plunged into uncertainty due to a host of developments. Already, the decision to make the RT-PCR negative certificate compulsory for people travelling from Kerala by some states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Northeastern states has dashed the hopes of the sector. This has resulted in zero arrival at the state’s tourist destinations from neighbouring states.
Adding to it, the state government decision to reschedule board examinations to April from March and the assembly elections spell doom for the sector. Now, April that used to witness summer holidaying by domestic tourists is on the verge of a washout. Since the SSLC and Plus Two examinations are scheduled from April 8 to 30, it will badly hit the summer holiday plans of families in Kerala, said industry experts.
The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI), in a letter to Chief Secretary V P Joy, urged the government to remove the restrictions like seven-day mandatory quarantine for other state visitors to help the sector stay afloat. Speaking to TNIE, E M Najeeb, senior vice-president, Indian Association of Tour Operators and chairperson of CKTI, no other state in the country has enforced restrictions like Kerala. The test positivity rate of Covid-19 has come to below five per cent and mortality rate below 0.3 per cent which is much lower than other states.
Hence, the state should intervene at the earliest and force other states to withdraw the restrictions by apprising them of the correct situation of Covid cases in Kerala, he said. Further, domestic tourists who are coming with a confirmed travel, accommodation and itinerary must be allowed to travel in the state without any restrictions. Similarly, the clients who have confirmed booking in any of the ayurveda hospitals, resorts and other hospitals must be allowed to stay in state without any restriction, he said.
A senior tourism officer said there is no logic in enforcing more restrictions in the tourism segment alone, when the state has allowed festivals to be organised and screen second shows in theatres. The tourism department has already started to spend Rs 2 crore it received though additional authorization for the destination promotion in domestic platforms.
“In the case of examinations and elections, we can’t give any exemption. But the state should be ready to lift the restrictions in a phased manner. Then only the promotions started with an eye on monsoon tourism will reap dividends,” he said.According to the stats available with the department, the last three months in 2020 had shown recovery of the sector with domestic tourists starting to flock the leisure destinations in the state.