Tourism picking up in Alappuzha

Alappuzha, Kerala, Nov 2 (UNI) With the arrival of batches of tourists, both foreign and domestic, the pace of tourism is picking up in Alappuzha, famous for its backwaters and houseboats.

Washed by the silvery waves of the Arabian Sea, Alappuzha, considered to be the 'Venice of the East' with palm-fringed canals and shores and mirror-still lagoons, is busy welcoming guests, after recovering from a slump following the outbreak of chikungunya in the area.

According to tourism officials, almost all hotels in the town and house boats are full with both foreign and domestic tourists arriving in the district after a gap of one month following the outbreak of the viral fever.

To allay the fears of tourists about the disease, the Kerala Tourism Department launched a marketing campaign sending messages to overseas tour operators and the international media, reassuring them that chikungunya was under control, the officials said.

''The streets are now flooded with foreign tourists and no rooms are available because of the rush '' says Alappuzha District Tourist Promotion Council Secretary Vinukumar.

''Though in the initial days of the season there was considerable decrease in the arrival of tourists following the spread of the viral fever, things have completely changed now and we are expecting a 25 to 35 per cent increase in the tourist inflow,'' he told UNI.

Mr Vinukumar said normally the season starts in October and ends in March or April. However, the tourist flow shows an indication that the season would last till May or further.

''Our goal is to wipe out ''off-season'' in the tourism sector and we are taking all efforts to make it ''all-season.'' The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) has taken various measures like introduction of ''monsoon tourism'' last year, he said, adding a large number of tourists had turned up to enjoy the rains.

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