Nipah Virus: Wayanad tourism loses Rs 2.5 crore

KALPETTA: The advisory to tourists, issued by the state health secretary Rajeev Sadanandan in the wake of the Nipah Virus (NiV) threat, against travelling in the four northern districts including Wayanad has hit the tourism industry of the agrarian district resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 2.5 crore, according to entrepreneurs’ forums. A delegation from Wayanad representing Wayanad Tourism Organization (WTO) which participated in the meeting convened by Kerala Tourism the other day to discuss the magnitude of losses incurred by the tourism industry, presented the gravity of the situation.

The delegation also demanded enhanced marketing support from Kerala Tourism to Wayanad to mitigate the impact. The panic across tourism circles resulted in a series of cancellations. Cancellation of visitors in groups was much higher, it was pointed out. K.R. Vancheeswaran of WTO told DC that over and above the advisory of the state government against travelling in Wayanad, there was an organized attempt by vested interest groups in other states to spread rumours that there was a dangerous disease outbreak in Kerala and that went viral in tourism circles the world over.

“Now that the NiV threat has proved to be limited to a pocket in Kozhikode district, it is high time the state government issue another advisory allaying the fears of tourists as well as tour operators about the real ground situation”, he said. Being a weekend getaway spot, the summer vacation of April and May are the only months in a year the district gets a regular flow of visitors. In February and March due to lack of water, most of the waterfalls would be closed and the entry of visitors would be banned in sanctuaries due to wildfires.