Tourism in the State is yet to recover from the devastating floods of mid-August.
The stakeholders of the industry, which generates ₹39,000 crore annually, are keeping their fingers crossed since tourist arrivals have posted a 50% dip.
Business has slumped in all categories of hotels and resorts, including those of the State-owned Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), homestays, and MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) tourism. Room occupancy hovers around 50% on an average in December compared to 85% during the same period in 2017. Domestic tourists have kept off prime destinations, worried about safety. Leading domestic tour operators say the dip is above 60%.
Houseboat operations for domestic vacationers have fallen to 10% from 90% last year, says Joji Mathew, director, Rainbow Cruise, Alappuzha. “We operated 30 to 40 services daily this period last year. But it has come down to five or six. Tour operators and travel agents in Delhi say there are fewer enquiries about Kerala.”
Withered hopes
Although eight lakh tourists were expected in Munnar in August-October to see the Neelakurinji blooms, only around two lakh turned up.
Kerala Tourism has officially put the dip in foreign tourist arrivals in August as 18.46% and 18.16% in September and that of domestic tourists at 12.56% and 5.85% respectively.
The bustle in the key tourist destinations of Kovalam, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Munnar, and Wayanad in December is missing.
Action plan
The dip shows that Kerala Tourism’s 12-point action plan to overcome the post-flood crisis has not yielded results. “The Ayurveda sector is not affected. The only solace is the trickling in of tourists from Europe. It will take a year for the sector to bounce back,” says a leading tour operator.
“We are hoping for a recovery during Christmas-New Year as hotel tariff has been reduced by 25 to 30% to attract domestic tourists,” says Anish Kumar P.K., member, Tourism Advisory Committee.
The floods resulted in a loss of ₹1,072 crore to the tourism sector, including a ₹55-crore loss to infrastructure.