Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is set to launch a “massive” promotional campaign along with a bloggers’ conference in Wayanad ahead of the Onam festive season to allay concerns of tourists that the hill district is not safe for tourism after the recent landslides.
Kerala Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohammed Riyas told PTI in an interview over the weekend that it was “sad” that the disaster that struck the state’s northern district on July 30 was being called the “Wayanad disaster” while the truth was that it affected only a part of the picturesque hill district.
Riyas said, “Choorlamala is the only affected place in Wayanad, but with the news spreading that it is a Wayanad disaster, everyone is gathering information about it on the internet and thinking that something is happening in Wayanad. Due to this, hotel-resort bookings there have been cancelled.”
He said, “Bookings have been cancelled even in the places which are best for tourism in Wayanad and are about 50 km away from Choorlamala. It is not right to call it Wayanad disaster.” Massive landslides in Wayanad after heavy rains about a month ago destroyed large parts of three villages – Punchirimattam, Choorlamala and Mundakkai – and claimed more than 200 lives, while about the same number of human organs were recovered from the debris and the nearby river.
Riyas said the disaster in Choorlamalla is a big ‘setback’ to not only tourism in Wayanad but also to tourism in Kerala and we are committed to overcome this setback. Tourism is one of the biggest sources of revenue in Kerala, known for picturesque mountains, beaches, tea plantations and waterfalls.
Riyas, son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said there were no tourist spots of “top level popularity” in landslide-hit Wayanad. “They are some 10th or 15th… Wayanad has a lot of tourist spots,” he said. Riyas said his department was going to launch a “massive campaign” this month to attract more tourists to the place full of natural beauty during the upcoming Onam festival.
The minister said he has spoken to tourism industry stakeholders, resort owners and local vendors to launch a massive social media campaign under which people from all walks of life and celebrities will be asked to post in English and Malayalam about their favourite destination in Kerala using the hashtag ‘My Kerala is as beautiful as ever’.
Riyas said, “This campaign will build confidence in tourism in Kerala, especially in Wayanad. It will serve to emphasize that nothing has happened to Wayanad. I will go to Wayanad with my family and stay there for a few days.”
He said that under this campaign, the government will also organize a ‘Blogger Meet’ in Wayanad, under which bloggers will visit popular tourist places located in the district and other areas and post videos describing the safety and beauty of the place. Wayanad district of Kerala is very popular among tourists. Last year more than 17 lakh tourists visited this district. In the year 2022, this number was 15 lakh.