Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The tourism industry in Kerala, which was slowly reviving after the August floods, was dealt with a loss of face as more than 2,500 foreign tourists who arrived in Kochi on Thursday in a cruise liner and chartered flights are likely to be stranded in the city on Friday owing to the hartal.

Luxury cruise ‘Marella Discovery’ has arrived with 1,720 foreign tourists at Cochin Port and three chartered flights arrived at CIAL with another 900 foreign tourists for sightseeing and shopping. The tour operators had organised eight different tours to various destinations in Kerala for the tourists who arrived here, but now things look uncertain following the unexpected announcement of a hartal on Friday. The arrival of a large number of tourist had provided optimism to tour operators and stakeholders.

“Without doubt, the hartal will have a severe impact on the tourism industry in future. This will be the largest arrival of tourists to Kerala after the tourism season started this year. These tourists will get a negative image of Kerala as they will be stuck up in the hotels. The losses for the tour operators and other stakeholders will be massive,” Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Kerala Chapter chairman Paulose Mathew told Express.

Tour operators have been raising the demand to exempt the tourism sector from the hartal. “We had approached all the political parties to exempt the tourism industry from hartals. The revenue of the state is going to be affected as tourists will not come to Kochi fearing hartals. Last month in the hartal a convoy of German travellers was pelted with stones. Immediately, they cancelled the tour and returned,” Paulose said.

K P Nandakumar, Joint Director, Kerala Tourism, said if the tour operators seek protection, the department is ready to approach the police for it. “The effect of Friday’s hartal will be severe considering the number of foreign tourists in Kochi. Usually, the tour operators arrange security for the tourist in such a situation. If they seek any assistance, we will be providing it,” he said.

Tourism in the state is limping back from the effects of the ferocious floods as two chartered flight with around 600 tourists from the UK arrived at Kochi on Thursday. Another 300 more tourists will be arriving at Kochi in another chartered flight that will reach Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Friday.

Ernakulam DTPC secretary S Vijaykumar in a press release issued by the Public Relations Department stated more foreign tourists are reaching Kochi in cruise liners as well.

Kochi Muziris Biennale is also attracting tourists. The tourists from the UK will be spending two days in Kochi. The group is expected to enjoy a boat ride in the Kochi backwaters. Then the group will visit Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Marine Drive and Broadway and venues of Kochi Muziris Biennale.

The group will also visit Vaikom and Kumbalangi tourism villages. The group will spend a day in a houseboat in Alappuzha.

Total number of hartals

In 2018 (Stats by Say No to Hartal)

(Local, district and state-wide)

Total - 97

BJP and affiliated outfits - 31

UDF - 23

Left - 17

In 2017

Total - 120

BJP and affiliated outfits - 47

UDF - 32

Left - 21