Nature's fury: Munnar misses tourists

IDUKKI: The popular hill station of Munnar in Kerala , known as Southern Kashmir, is now showing a reverse trend as the number of tourists are dropping. Some of the hotels have already shut down due to lack of tourists.

Tourism stakeholders say that since the 2018 August floods, the tourist arrival shows a reverse trend in the hill station.

One of the main routes in Munnar through Gap road was blocked in a major landslide on October 8. Many private owners were running lodges and hotels on lease in Old Munnar, Munnar town, Munnar colony, Pallivasal, Randamile, Chithirapuram and Chinnakanal. But with fewer tourists visiting, the owners are cancelling their lease agreements and closing down the hotels, said the stake holders.

Munnar hotel and resorts association president V V George said, "After the Gap Road was blocked, the hotels and resorts in the Chinnakanal region are facing crisis. Some of them are already closed. Nearly 30,000 people directly depend on the tourism sector in Munnar".

"The hill station was slowly recovering after the August flood. But the landslides in Gap Road blocked the tourist arrival in Ernakulam and Thekkady. Presently the tourist arrival has dipped by nearly 30% in Munnar", said George.

"After two decades, Munnar is witnessing very good climate. The hills are blanketed in mist and mild rain. But sadly, the tourist arrival is decreasing in every day. ", he said.