Kumali: With the Deepawali season turning out to be a letdown, Thekkady is now pinning its hopes on the upcoming Sabarimala season
Compared to the previous season, Thekkady saw a significant reduction in the number of tourists visiting this popular getaway among wildlife enthusiasts during Deepawali.
Thekkady’s problem is compounded by travel plans of tour operators who add it as only a stopover on way from Kochi to Alappuzha.
This is a grim pointer to what awaits Thekkady in the near future. Tourism is a major revenue earner for the Kumali panchayat. It is also a means of livelihood for thousands of people who work in several areas of the tourism sector, right from big hotels to small homestays.
A drop in the tourist turnout will directly affect all these people. This has raised concerns and points to the need for all stakeholders to come together and find solutions to the issues that impact tourist arrivals immediately.
Last year Deepawali was during the end of October. This time it was on October 18. Majority of tourists during this season are from north India. Compared to last year, there was no rush of leisure travellers from north India this time.
The tourist numbers recorded at Thekkady boat landing stations also tell the same story. If the few foreign tourists are not counted, Thekkady saw less than 7,000 visitors during the three days including the Deepawali day. In contrast, last year, during the same period, the figure stood at more than 9,000.
Tourist arrivals were at their peak during Puja holidays, but came down considerably after that and never picked as expected during Deepawali. Even though there are bookings at some hotels for a few more days, the overall tourist figures are pretty low.
Industry observers feel that immediate measures are required to ensure that Thekkady doesn’t lose more ground, and at the same time it regain its lost glory.
