The Mullaperiyar controversy has badly affected the peak tourism season of Kerala, with the Thekkady-Munnar circuit almost completely erased from the itinerary of travellers and the rest of the tourist hotspots also feeling the pinch slowly.
The cancellations in hotels and resorts in the Thekkady belt are increasing with each passing day, and the Kumily town remains one of the worst hit owing to the stand-off on the Mullaperiyar issue.
The violence erupted over the Mullaperiyar issue in border areas after the onset of the current peak tourism season has sent an unwelcome message to the tourists, both domestic and foreign. “We don’t actually know what could be done now and how to retrieve the losing season, amid the volatile situation. Now the Mullaperiyar issue has affected Kerala’s tourism sector in an unimaginable proportion. It may affect the IT and other sectors of the state as well,” said Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar.
“The issue is so sensitive as it involves the fear for life of 30 lakh people. But, at the same time, the reverses in the tourism front will take a lot of time to be put back on rail,” he told ‘Express.’
Thekkady and Kumily areas, which should have been a beehive of tourists, remain deserted compared to the past season. Prohibitory orders have been issued and the border has been sealed. The best indicator is the scenario at the KTDCs Lake Palace, situated in the middle of the Mullaperiyar lake.
Out of the six rooms, including a suite, in the summer residence of the earstwhile Travancore royalty, there was just one occupant on Tuesday. “On Monday alone, there were 12 cancellations. That too, including a group which had paid `2.5 lakh as advance for bookings for four days in January,” K J Johnson, manager of Lake Palace, said.
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