Explore Wayanad

Correspondent

Considerable fall in number of visitors to various destinations during Onam

not much to celebrate: Pookode Lake at Vythiri in Wayanad, an acclaimed tourist destination.

KALPETTA: The ban on night traffic through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve that has affected traffic on the Kollegal-Kozhikode highway has had an adverse impact on the tourism industry in the district.

The usual rush of tourists during the Onam season to destinations such as the Edakkal Caves on the Ambukuthy hills, Pookode Lake at Vythiri, and the Kuruva islets near Pulpally was missing this year, after the night traffic ban was imposed by the Karnataka government, K.V. Biju, secretary of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), said.

Data with the council show a considerable decline in the number of visitors to the main tourism destinations during the season. The data reveal that 5,847 tourists visited Pookode Lake from September 2 to 5 this year, as against 6,206 tourists during the period in 2008.

The number was 3,521 this year and 4,015 last year at the Edakkal Caves.

Mr. Biju said the tourism industry in the district was mainly dependent on the IT hubs in Chennai and Bangalore for the domestic tourists and the night traffic ban had considerably affected the inflow from these destinations.

He said that for the tourists from Chennai, the NH 212 was the easiest route to reach the district. After the ban was imposed, they preferred to visit Coorg in Karnataka.