Major tourist hotspots like Munnar were negatively impacted by the early arrival of the monsoon.
| Photo Credit: JOMON PAMPAVALLEY
As summer vacation approached its final stretch, Idukki’s thriving tourism industry was abruptly brought to a standstill. The unexpected onset of the monsoon, coupled with Red and Orange alerts issued by the district administration, forced the closure of major tourist hotspots like Munnar, triggering a wave of cancellations. Stakeholders say bookings had been secured through June 10, but the sudden weather shift left both tourists and businesses scrambling.
Confirming the present trend, District Tourism Promotion (DTPC) secretary Jithesh Jose said that normally, the number of tourists arriving during the summer vacation will continue till June 10. The school opens in Tamil Nadu on June 10, and in the last week of May and the first week of June, a large number of tourists arrive from Tamil Nadu to Idukki. But after the district administration issued alerts, tourism activities were suspended which led to reduced tourist arrivals to the district,” said Mr Jose.
Mr Jose further said that the average tourist arrival in Wagamon Adventure Park was over 9,000 people per day. “But after suspending the adventure tourism activities, the tourist arrivals dropped to below 1,000 per day. The Glass Bridge in Wagamon is the major tourist attraction in the district,” said Mr Jose.
The business sector is also facing a roadblock after the arrival of tourists in the district. According to tourism stakeholders, they are receiving many cancellations after the district witnessed heavy rain.
“Until May 25, the Munnar hill station witnessed a huge rush, and the roads connecting to the hill station witnessed hours-long traffic blocks. But after the arrival of monsoon rain and alerts, the town wore a deserted look. The early arrival of the monsoon badly affects the business sector. Normally, the tourist arrivals would continue until June 30. The Munnar town mainly depends on the business from tourists,” said Sheji Augustine, a vendor in Munnar town.
Meanwhile, the Idukki district collector, V. Vigneshwari, has imposed restrictions on tourism activities in the district. According to officials, all water-related, trekking, and adventure tourism activities in the district were suspended in the wake of a heavy rain alert for the coming days. The order stated that the tourism-related activities in the district will be suspended until further notice. In addition, the district administration imposed a night travel ban on the Gap road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway on May 30.
Published – May 29, 2025 07:10 pm IST
