Santa illusion set to visit Kovalam

The phenomenon refers to the sudden spurt in booking during Christmas and New Year, and has become more prominent during the last five-six years when tourism footfalls were dangerously close to silent during the season

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The 'Illusion' though transitory offers some relief to the industry. “Even when the charters deserted Kovalam and tourism was generally dull, the properties did great business during the 25-odd days between December 20 and January 15,” said Panicker of Green Isle Vacations. This year, even though occupancy was an alarming 30-40 percent in the first week of December, major properties in Kovalam have seen a considerable rise in bookings.

This interest in Kovalam during Christmas and New Year is an anomaly. “It is felt that the New Year brings in a party crowd but Kovalam is perceived globally as a relatively prudish destination,” said Joseph George who runs a small resort in Mulloor.

But the tourists who swarm the beach during the period are not the kind of people who can be described as party animals. “We see a lot of couples during the time, mostly middle-aged and above. They are less noisy and more contemplative and Kovalam provides the ideal background for them,” said Panicker.

The Illusion has not given the industry any false hopes. Contradicting official claims, the Sudhiesh said that foreign arrivals have dwindled alarmingly. “We don’t see any new faces here, all the foreigners are regulars, people we are quite familiar with, and even their numbers are going down,” he said.