The 60 ecotourism destinations in the State, including the 10 that got submerged in the floodwaters or cut off from mainland during the August floods, have geared up for another peak tourist season.

Like other tourist spots, these destinations functioning under various Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) were deserted after the floods with the holidayers, both domestic and international, preferring to keep away.

The sharp fall in tourist arrivals after the floods affected the income of those working under FDAs.

The Directorate of Ecotourism has put the damage to the 10 centres at ₹737.95 lakh. The 60 ecotourism destinations had around 66.23 lakh visitors in 2017-18, and one lakh among them were foreigners.

Gavi roads restored

Roads leading to the Gavi ecotourism centre that were washed away, making the destination under the Ranni FDA inaccessible, have been restored.

Damage was caused to the Thattekkad bird sanctuary by way of waste deposit in the reservoir.

The ecotourism site Suvarnodyanam at Nedumbassery and Abhayaranyam at Kaprikkad got fully submerged in the floods and extensive damage had been reported.

In the North Wayanad division, the Munneswaram Kunnu ecotourism site suffered heavy damage and it is estimated that around ₹30 lakh is needed to repair the buildings alone.

Director of Ecotourism Pramod P.P. told The Hindu that all the 60 centres were ready to receive tourists now.

“We expect holidayers in large numbers. Restrictions prevail in some centres like Eravikulam and it is based on carrying capacity,” he added.

Website launch today

The directorate is launching its official website on Saturday as part of the post-flood plans to market the ecotourism destinations and to make them lively again.

The 500-page microwebsite on the official website of Kerala Tourism has details of 47 ecotourism centres, 100-odd programmes in 35 centres, 75 videos, 200-odd photographs, and e-brochures of 10 destinations.