Munnar receives more tourist enquiries in the wake of Kashmir terrorist attack insidelooknews

Tourists at a tea plantation at Munnar hill station in Idukki.
| Photo Credit: JOMON PAMPAVALLEY

With tourism in Kashmir facing a roadblock after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the hill station of Munnar is expecting an influx of tourists. According to tourism stakeholders, they are receiving enquiries from tour operators after the terror attack.

According to Tourism department officials, the district is already witnessing good tourist inflow following the implementation of e-pass regulations by Tamil Nadu for entry to Ooty and Kodaikanal.

District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary Jitheesh Jose says 3.60 lakh tourists visited destinations under the DTPC in Idukki in April last year. “This year, within 20 days, nearly 2,98,000 tourists visited the destinations. More tourists are reaching Munnar and Wagamon hill stations. We hope the trend will continue in May also,” says Mr. Jose.

A tourism stakeholder says normally, tourists, including Malayalis, prefer Ooty, Kodaikanal, and Munnar. “When travel restrictions came into effect in the two destinations in Tamil Nadu, tourists shifted their plans to Munnar resulting in the sudden surge of tourists. We hope the trend will continue until June,” he says.

G. Sojan, coordinator of My Munnar Movement, an initiative to promote tourism prospects of Munnar, says many tourism stakeholders are receiving enquiries after the terror attack in Kashmir.

“We hope tourists, especially those from north India, will shift their travel plans to Munnar instead of Kashmir. The climate and topography of Munnar are almost the same as in Kashmir,” says Mr. Sojan.

Eravikulam National Park (ENP), home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr, is one of the prominent attractions in Munnar. The bookings were full till Easter day. “We hope that, after the Kashmir attack, many tourists will prefer Munnar and reach the park. The major attractions in the park are the Nilgiri tahr, virtual reality park of ENP, a fernarium, and an orchidarium,” says ENP Assistant Wildlife Warden Nithin Lal.