Alappuzha: The bird flu scare put off tourists in hordes, but Alappuzha, the houseboat hub of the state, appears to be now recovering from the hit its business took recently.
Mr Tomi Pulickattil, a houseboat owner, says the industry seems to be recovering from the bird flu scare. “Though we were flooded with inquiries from tourists on bird flu last week, the situation is changing now.
No bird flu inquiry has been received over the last two days. However, the international situation is still a matter of worry as it will be counterproductive. If any human death is reported in Europe, our industry here will certainly take a hit,” he rues.
Mr N Sreekumar, general secretary, All Kerala Houseboat Owners Association (AKHOA), too says the industry is hobbling back to normalcy.
“We hope business will recover if no new outbreaks are reported. But for the safety of tourists, chicken and duck curries are still off the menu,” he reveals.
“The foreigners who have booked houseboats want to know whether we are serving duck eggs or meat But thankfully, no international booking has been cancelled so far,” adds Mr Jojy Mathew, president, All Kerala Houseboat Owners Federation.
The outbreak has delivered a double blow to the sluggish sector already feeling the effects of the government’s liquor policy.
The industry, which has 1163 licensed houseboats in the backwaters of the Vembanad Lake, has taken a beating at a time when the tourism policy announced in August last year was looking forward to 30 lakh foreign tourist arrivals by 2021.
Going by the tourism department, over 8.58 lakh foreign tourists visited Kerala in 2013 , 7.93 lakh in 2012 and 7. 94 lakh in 2011. As many as 2,75, 821 tourists enjoyed the backwaters experience of Alappuzha last year.
