Munnar experiencing a major rush in tourists

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Long line of tourist vehicles, traffic snarls, hotels jam-packed, shops crowded and people fighting to grab a seat at restaurants. These are the current scenarios from Munnar, one of the favorite winter destinations of Kerala — which has been seeing a major tourist rush for the last one week.

Ignoring the restrictions of Covid-19, families are rushing to this hill stations with infants and elderly, creating concerns of another virus spread.

“This is disgusting. We have been striving hard to control the spread and some people are giving scant regard to the advisory. I saw a picture of a family with an infant at Ponmudi. We are fighting a pandemic and we can’t afford to sit back and relax at this stage. I request people to wait for a while and don’t take kids to tourist spots,” Health Minister K K Shailaja told TNIE.

Nelliyampathy and Wayanad have been experiencing a heavy rush of tourists as well, most of them Keralites.

“We have taken note of the situation. Recently, I got stuck in traffic at Wagamon for three hours. The tourism sector has just started showing signs of revival and any intervention may adversely affect the industry. I have sought a report from the police and we will be taking steps to enforce social distancing strictly,” said Idukki District Collector H Dinesan. The hospitality industry is optimistic as all hotels, resorts and homestays are packed to capacity, with bookings extending till January 7.

“The Covid restrictions had brought the industry to its knees and we were struggling to survive. Now suddenly, there is a huge influx of tourists. About 90 per cent of the visitors are Keralites. The climate is pleasant and people are on a revelry mood. This has fired up our spirits,” said Munnar Hotels and Resorts Association president, Dileep Pottamkulam.

At Vattavada and Kanthalloor, the situation is not different either, the vegetable and fruit bowl of the state. “For the first time, all resorts at Kanthalloor are full. People are queuing up in front of my orchard though there are no fruits. Long queue of vehicles is seen from Marayur to Kanthalloor,” said George Joseph, owner of Thoppans Orchards at Kanthalloor.

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