After a hiatus, Munnar is witnessing heavy tourist inflow with most hotels and resorts booked to capacity.
The Christmas/ New Year season, aided by a drop in mercury level, is attracting tourists.
An official at the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in Munnar says there is a spurt in tourist inflow from December 20. Normally, Munnar witnesses a high turnout from December 20 to January 5.
Most hotels and resorts have been fully booked from December 25 to 27. The number of daytime tourists is also on the rise. These are positive trends indicative of normalisation of tourism activities at the hill station, he says.
“The number of vehicles parked on roadsides from Kanthallur to Munnar points to the revival of tourism,” says Tijo a local resident.
Resort managers say tourists from outside the State have also started coming to Munnar. As many as 1,491 people visited the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the main tourism destination and the natural habitat of Nilgiri Tahr on Thursday. Job J. Neriyamparambil, ENP range officer, says more tourists are expected in the coming days. The day temperature is near 10 degrees Celsius in Munnar while it remains at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius at Marayur and Kanthallur, the main centres of farm tourism.
