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The tussle between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on the Mullaperiyar dam adversely affected tourism in both states. This time of the year, foreign tourist inflow declined to a trickle in Thekkady as well as the temple town of Madurai. Hotels and tourist operators reported cancellation of booking at a whopping 80%. It translates into 20 foreign tourists where 200 were to arrive. The reason is due to the road blockade carried out by the protests over the issue of the dam. State buses and private vehicles could not cross into Tamil Nadu and vice versa as Kumily which is at the border of the two states saw violent agitations over the dam. Even check posts at the Kumily border refused to issue passes.
Tourists were forced to opt for trucks that trundled across or take a circuitous route. Those traveling from Tamil Nadu traveled from Coimbatore, Palakkad to Kochi and thence to Thekkady. Some walked across the border. So a holiday trip of 4 hours became a lengthy 14 hour detour which was bad news for the tourism industry. Even now buses are being stopped and tourists had to walk across the border. Tourist buses cost Rs.27 lakhs and no one is willing to have their Rs,40,000 windshield shattered by protesters.
Tourists were forced to opt for trucks that trundled across or take a circuitous route. Those traveling from Tamil Nadu traveled from Coimbatore, Palakkad to Kochi and thence to Thekkady. Some walked across the border. So a holiday trip of 4 hours became a lengthy 14 hour detour which was bad news for the tourism industry. Even now buses are being stopped and tourists had to walk across the border. Tourist buses cost Rs.27 lakhs and no one is willing to have their Rs,40,000 windshield shattered by protesters.
There is some respite now mainly due to the onset of the Sabarimala pilgrimage. With police protection being offered to pilgrims to cross the border from Tamil Nadu to Kerala, there have been demands for similar protection for the tourists within Kerala. Finally on Monday, buses managed to operate on the Kumily border route passing from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Buses in Kerala to the Kumily border town are set to operate by 10:30 am today. Private buses and taxis are playing it safe and dropping tourists till the border. Tourists are moving freely across without incident as peace prevails after a long period of violent clashes. With the holiday season winding to a close, tourism operators pinned hopes on domestic tourists and they haven’t disappointed continuing to arrive to holiday into what was once a tourist haven.
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