Weak Rain Shades Kerala Tourism This Monsoon Season

Kerala Tourism is seeing setback due to the delayed and low rainfall this monsoon season. Kerala, the God’s own Country, which is well known to tourists as a place flooding with greenery and mild environment that can provide a perfect rejuvenating ambience to anyone seeking shelter in this wonderful land is having black clouds hovering over its tourism industry. 

The delayed rainfall and the weak rain measuring only 433.1mm till Friday has adversely affected the state. The rejuvenation packages designed mainly considering the monsoon season has not found firm soil this season.

The month of June and July which is made special by the monsoon rain is considered as the peak and best suitable season for the Ayurvedic Treatment. People from different parts of the country as well as abroad flock in the state during this time. 

To help the tourist benefit more from their trip the tour operators link their services to rejuvenation packages along with the Ayurvedic Treatment Package and also special kietary plans. But due to the weak rainfall during this year’s Southwest monsoon which had hit the state on June 6^th the tour operators are still hoping to be busy like recent years.

A manager of Kochi based tour operating company said that they usually got quaries related to the rejuvenation packages during the half end of June but this year they had none. However few managers of company offering Ayurvedic treatment said that few queries have crept in during this season. Many other tour operators said that the Arabs who visited the state to escape from the heat every year are no longer countable as ‘repeat clients’. 

The tour operators added that the NRI who sensed the call of the motherland in the form of rain and who were comfortable with monsoon weathers are their major clients. Apart from the NRI, the tour operators also give credit to honeymooners and other small groups who take advantage of the reduced rates for maintaining the inflow.

This year monsoon has given bolt from the blue to the tourism industry of the state. It is hard to believe that the state which have been promoting packages and trading aggrevesively during the monsoon season for the last five years have suddenly faced crisis of visitors this year. It is expected that in 2013 Kerala witnessed 29,758 foreign and 744,703 domestic tourists which accounted to 5% and 7% rise respectively compared to the previous year.

Even though the Kerala Tourism Officials are hopeful for the future. One of the official said that that it is early start of the monsoon. There is more time as the monsoon days continue till the end of September. They have many more plans to execute to yield the best of the monsoon season in these four months. They are mainly focusing on Ayurvedic packages and the rejuvenation packages.

Similarly, Raghudasan M, additional Director of Kerala Tourism, expressed himself by saying that the tourist’s location doesn’t affect the Ayurvedic Treatment that is offered in their special Ayurvedic Treatment Package so this could be taken as an additional advantage to promote the business.

Another desitination, Wayanad, well known for its wildlife and adventure trails too saw the same grim face.Abhilash K, General Manager of Rain Country Resorts in Wayanad said that they have low business during the month of June but this year it was worse.