The continuing night traffic ban along the NH-212 that connects Kerala and Karnataka has severely hit the tourism prospect of Wayanad, the hill district once billed as the next most promising tourist destination in the state.

Tourism players in Wayanad, which banks heavily on weekend tourists from the IT hub in Bangalore and Chennai, say that the weekend crowd has dropped by around 40% with the travel restrictions on the highway passing through the Bandipur National Park.

"We are facing a serious situation. Weekend tourists from Bangalore and Chennai comprised 70% of our clients before the ban came into effect in 2009. What has made matters worse is that the ban came at a time when the district was witnessing a huge tourism growth. The number of quality hotel rooms now is 2,500, against just 200 in 2000," said Wayanad Tourism Organisation (WTO) general secretary K Ravindran.

"Earlier, the travellers would head off to Wayanad from Bangalore after office hours on Friday evening and could get to spend two full days here. The ban, in place from 9pm to 6am, has now hit their travel plans," he said.

Ravindran, however, said the hotels have not decreased the room rentals yet. "Normally, it takes over 30% occupancy for a hotel in Wayanad to break even. With so many new properties coming up, we have started feeling the pinch," he added.

District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) figures show the number of resorts in the district rising from just four in 2003 to 45 in 2013, in addition to the around 250 homestays.

(You need to login first to read complete news).
New User? Register for FREE!
» Back to Travel News