Nilgiris witness doubling of tourists in 2021

Saturday, January 8, 2022

After a perplexing period for the tourism and hospitality sector in the Nilgiris due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 witnessed the rebirth of the industry that provides maximum revenue for local residents, with tourist visitors to the district doubled compared to 2020.

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Department uses a few parameters to evaluate the number of visitors to the district. As per figures released by the Horticulture Department in the Nilgiris, more than 17 lakh people visited the Government Botanical Garden (GBG), which is almost double the number of visitors to the garden in 2019.

Tourism and Horticulture Departments officials said that the main reason for this increase is the shorter lockdown periods in 2021. “When compared with 2020, when the garden, as well as all tourist places, was shut down for five months, the garden was only closed for three months in 2021, in May, June and July,” said an official from the Horticulture Department.

After the reopening of the district to tourists in August, the number of visitors increased gradually, with around 2.5 lakh people visiting the garden in November and December.

SivasubramaniamSamraj, Joint Director of Horticulture, Nilgiris district said, “In gardens and parks maintained by the Horticulture Department, as well as in other tourist spots, people not wearing masks are not allowed to enter, while strict enforcement of personal distancing is also maintained.”

N. Chandrashekar, honorary secretary of the Nilgiri Hotel and Restaurant Association (NHRA), said that hotels and businesses have done well, especially during the last three months of 2021.

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