Natural calamities strike at wrong time for Kerala tourism

Thursday, October 21, 2021

The recent landslides and flood have turned out to be a spoiler for the tourism sector in Kerala which was on a path of revival after the COVID-19 crisis.








With the puja holidays, tourists from other states had started arriving in the state in good numbers before the natural disasters struck leading to booking cancellations in the past three to four days.






Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) President E M Najeeb said that the industry was witnessing an improvement in tourist footfall after the COVID-19 related crisis when the natural calamities struck, that too in important tourist destinations in the state.

There have been a large number of cancellations in the recent days.

Currently, there are bookings for next month. But if the weather and other conditions don’t improve, there will be more cancellations.





The worst hit is the hospitality sector, especially home-stays operating at the grass-roots level. According to home stay operators, most tourists who booked rooms have made last-minute cancellations.

The cancellation is high at popular destinations.





The tourists from other states mostly stay at Munnar, Kumily, Kumarakom, Kochi and Alappuzha. After the news of landslides and flood spread, several tourists have made last-minute cancellations.

The flood in Kuttanad has prompted trip and stay cancellations at Alappuzha and Kumarakom.






A top official of Kerala Tourism also expressed concern about the impact of the natural calamities on the industry. However, he said the situation will improve. 

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