THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the tourism sector initially opened up to travellers after a long gap, business didn't pick up as expected since Covid cases continued to remain high in the state.
However, with many hotels and homestays in the district offering attractive discounts for Christmas and New Year, advanced bookings were made by both domestic and international tourists. However, the Omicron variant of coronavirus has led many to either cancel bookings or put their holiday plans on hold.
Many of the hotel and tourism industry stakeholders say there is a 50 per cent cancellation in hotel bookings during the peak Christmas season though it is better for the New Year. "There might not be much tourist movement during the peak Christmas season as the bookings indicate. Due to the Omicron scare, people are hesitant to travel. However, inquiries are still being made for the New Year. We are trying to come up with plans to attract tourists. However, seeing the response, we aren’t much hopeful," said Rajagopaal Iyer, CEO of Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel and Spa in Kovalam.
Many international tourists come to the city as part of leisure or medical tourism and usually they stay at various homestays in Kovalam and Shangumugham. However, amid the rising concern of the new Covid variant, bookings in homestays have also been affected.
"Around 2,500 homestays are currently functioning in the state. December and January are the peak months for them. Though many homestays had 50 per cent bookings last month, the numbers, especially of the international tourists, are decreasing due to the travel restrictions," says MP Sivadathan, director of Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (KHATS).
He adds they are now focusing on attracting domestic tourists. Hence, more exciting offers and activities are being lined up for the season. “Business was returning to normal. But the new Covid variant has led many international tourists to cancel their bookings. Five reservations by foreigners for Christmas have already been cancelled. We are banking on domestic tourists. However, many of them are hesitant to travel now due to Covid scare,” says Manoj M P, who runs the Ganesh House Homestay in Kovalam.
Another homestay owner Jayaprakash says he gets more international tourists every year. "Presently, I am hosting French tourists at my homestay after a gap of two years. Though this is the peak season, I haven’t received any new bookings because of the travel restrictions," he adds.
Meanwhile, B Sreekumar, general secretary of Kerala Tourism and Promotion Development Council says a meeting has already been held with the tourism department director and other officials who have ensured their support to revive the sector.
"Kovalam is one of the most sought-after beach destinations in the state. However, sea erosion heavily damaged the spot. Due to which many development projects are on hold, including setting up more streetlights near the beach area. The tourism department has chalked out many projects to restore the industry," says Sreekumar.
Reviving the sector
The tourism department plans to implement projects to revive the tourism industry. Setting up streetlights near Kovalam beah area is in the pipeline. It was delayed due to heavy sea erosion in the past months.