THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cancellation of Onam Week fete and the postponement of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) in view of the massive landslides that caused widespread devastation and loss of lives in Wayanad have come as a heavy blow to the tourism industry. According to industry stakeholders, the Champions Boat League and Onam fete were two major attractions that wooed international and domestic tourists to the state and the cancellations have left the industry grappling with setbacks.
The worst affected are the traditional artists taking part in the week-long Onam celebrations. Hundreds of artists from across the state and country take part in the Onam celebrations. Pushparajan K, an artist performing Alamikkali, a unique folk art form in Kasaragod, has been taking part in the Onam celebrations since 1997. The cancellation of the event has come as a blow to him and many taking part in the event.
“Onam is something we look forward to. Floods and calamities are happening repeatedly and such cancellation is adversely impacting folklore artist. The government can tone down the celebrations and allow such events to be held,” said Pushparajan.
P V Ramesan, another artist, said that the government should give compensation or relief for artists when they cancel such events. “Before the pandemic, the government used to give better remuneration for taking part in the festival and after Covid, the remuneration has been reduced by 50 per cent. We are all at the receiving end,” said Ramesan.
The news of the postponement of the NTBR had led to mass cancellation of bookings in Alappuzha last Saturday.
The houseboat industry has been hit hard by the postponement of the boat race. “We had eight houseboats fully booked for the event, and we turned down other bookings to accommodate these race-related reservations. This is time of the year when business peaks, and the loss of these bookings has led to huge financial loss,” said Johny (name changed), who has been in the houseboat industry for nearly three decades.
Rajesh P R, a tour guide, said that the industry has been suffering losses due to various factors.
“Monsoon tourism didn’t pick up as expected because of the extreme weather,” he said.
“We were pinning all our hopes on the upcoming events as they draw scores of tourists. Now all those hopes have been dashed,” said Rajesh. The race boat owners were the worst affected by the sudden decision to postpone the regatta. President of Kerala Race Boat Owners Association Joseph T Lukose said that many clubs have brought rowers from various parts of the country, including Kashmir, Delhi, Manipur and Haryana.
“We have urged the government to give compensation for deserving participants to ride over the financial loss they suffered,” said Lukose.