Wayanad, nestled amidst rolling hills, with its beautiful meandering rivers and lush green plantations, is yet to entice global travellers after the landslides. This is despite the Safe Wayanad campaign by the Kerala government and a call by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, MP, to support tourism in Wayanad.
According to statistics available with the Tourism department, 37,226 tourists visited Wayanad during this Onam vacation whereas it saw 1.11 lakh visitors during the same period the previous year. Now with the Navaratri holiday season around the corner, the industry is keeping its fingers crossed. The season last year saw around 1.25 lakh tourists visiting various spots in the district.
Increase in September
Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas told The Hindu that considering the drastic drop in tourism activities in August, following the landslides on July 30, there was an increase in tourism arrivals in September. “We are hopeful that the momentum received in September could be carried forward by promoting the Safe Wayanad campaign across various platforms,” said Mr. Riyas.
The department was also devising strategies to boost tourist arrivals to Malabar, especially Wayanad, the Minister said. The foreign tourists visiting Kerala hardly visited destinations outside their traditional stopovers such as Fort Kochi, Munnar, Thekkadi, houseboat tourism centres and beaches such as Kovalam and Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram. The department had started consultations with the Cochin International Airport authorities and airline officials to bring more foreign tourists to Kerala by offering incentives and promotions. Along with this, Wayanad had to be promoted in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other south Indian States, said the Minister.
Rahul’s appeal
In a recent post on ‘X’, Mr. Gandhi had appealed to tourists to visit Wayanad. He had said that the landslides were localised, and not the entire region was hit. Wayanad remained a stunning destination and would soon be ready to welcome tourists from across the country and the world with all its natural charm, he had said in the post.
Industry stakeholders said that soon after the landslides, tourism activities in the hilly district had come to a standstill. This was despite the homestays and resorts in the district receiving 40-60% bookings in advance for August. After the landslides, a good number of tourists preferred destinations such as Coorg, Gundlupete, Mysuru and so on.
With the peak tourism season beginning in the district next month, the industry is hoping that the sector will see a revival with the support of the government.
Published – September 29, 2024 07:24 pm IST