THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Christmas and New Year are the peak tourism seasons in our state. This is the time when both domestic and foreign tourists arrive to spend their long vacation days along the backwaters and the endless beaches in Kerala. With hotels and resorts, the season brings good business to the tourist bus operators for travelling inside and outside the state. Though tourist spots have opened up for visitors, the bus operators say their business remains paralysed with most of the tourists relying on private vehicles.
Kerala has around 9,000 contract carriage buses and 600 tourist buses plying to and from other states. However, for over two years, operators of both the interstate and intrastate luxury bus services have been finding it difficult to mobilise funds for tax liabilities, vehicle maintenance and repaying bank loans due to the pandemic-induced financial crisis. Last Christmas, the tourist bus operators weren’t even able to operate services due to the lockdown. The threat of the Omicron variant this time has also added to their woes as there are restrictions on international flights.
“Usually international tourists arrive from October and stay till January. But there are hardly any foreign tourists this season. Only a few domestic tourists from places such as Gujarat and Mumbai are coming here. If 2019 saw the most number of tourists hitting the state during the Christmas season, there is only 20% inflow after the pandemic began. The buses with a seating capacity of 40 and above haven’t been able to hit the roads yet,” says Prashanthan S, general secretary of Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA).
He adds currently, bookings are only being made either for weddings or pilgrimage trips. “About 70% of vehicles are still not operational, and even now 90% of the medium buses haven’t been able to hit the roads yet,” says Prashanthan.
The rising Omicron cases have further affected the business, says tourist bus operators. “Last month, we received many enquiries from north-Indian states. But due to the new Covid variant, no bookings are being made,” says Nizam A, owner of ANM Tours and Travels Private Limited. Some bus operators say it would be a relief if the state government waived the taxes till January. “I have around 13 vehicles and I need at least around Rs 2 lakh to pay the tax for one quarter. The moratorium which ends in December should also be extended and a working fund should be provided to tourist bus operators. Otherwise, this sector won’t survive,” says Bajy Joseph, owner of Platinum Tours and the Ernakulam district vice-president of CCOA.