Kerala has registered a growth of 14% in tourists from other states.
Thiruvananthapuram:
Fears arising from the very contagious Omicron version of the corona virus have resulted in cancellations of many foreign tourists in Kerala.
“My loved ones say I should come home. The initial plan was to be on vacation for two months. But now with Omicron, I don’t know, I can be back in a week. I have yet to decide but I’m closely I’m following the news”, said Tony Norgrim, a solo traveler from Sweden.
Mr Norgrim had arrived in Kovalam on 28 November, days before investigations had begun for Omicron or confirmed cases beyond South Africa. His initial plan was to stay for two months, but now, he says he may have to cut back on his travels and is tracking the daily news.
Popular tourist destinations in Kerala have also remained largely empty of foreign tourists despite the peak season. The relief is just the increasing trepidation of domestic tourists.
While international tourists to Kerala have seen a decline of 91.22% as compared to 2020, the southern state has registered a 14% increase in tourists from other states.
“Since the covid pandemic, this is the first time that we have traveled. We are out for 7 days, it is only in Kerala that I have seen people wearing masks everywhere. Be it taxi drivers, vendors, police officers Be it everyone. People rarely wear masks in other states like Rajasthan, Delhi or Tamil Nadu”, said Ram Singh, a tourist from Jaipur.
The first three samples of foreign returnees who tested positive and were sent for genomic sequencing have not shown the Omicron variant.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George told NDTV, “Samples of three people have tested negative for omicrons. It is an ongoing process with 3-4 more expected results. We are fully prepared.”
But fears arising from the too-contagious Omicron version have already resulted in cancellations among international tourists.
TN Suresh, owner of a hotel in Kovalam, says, “We started booking from December 20. For January, February also. But after Omicron news almost all bookings by international tourists have been canceled. October to March Kerala has a peak tourism period, especially involving European travellers”.
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