Karnataka: Temples open for devotees; water sports, trekking and hiking resume

Mangaluru: Tourism is limping back to normalcy in Coastal Karnataka.

Water sports have resumed and temples are opened for the. Trekking and hiking too have started. The number of people going to tourist destinations swell during weekends.

Coastal Karnataka is famous for temple and beach tourism. People from various parts of Karnataka and other states come here to visit the famous temples and enjoy the beaches.

The pandemic and the restrictions had stalled the activity. However, with the government removing the restrictions and the people getting some confidence after vaccination, tourism activities have picked up slowly.

"The beach houses are booked till November. People have started going to tourist destinations. Famous hotels, restaurants, and ice cream parlors in the region are full now, mostly by the tourists," Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project former CEO Yathish Baikampady told Deccan Chronicle.

"People were waiting for the opening up of activities after the lockdown. If the government allows these activities, the economy will improve. Let the government do it by issuing necessary practical and sensible guidelines," he added.

Usually, an increase in the number of tourists would benefit many sectors including transport and hotels. But normalcy is yet to return in the transport sector.

"People venture out. But most of them prefer to take their own vehicles. The taxis and buses still do not have the number of people which they had before the pandemic," he added.