On May 1, Soji J. Alumparambil, a houseboat operator at Kumarakom, headed for the Cheepunkal boat terminal expecting a bustling business atmosphere. Typically, this day, a public holiday for the State, draws a huge crowd, with waterways across the village bustling with local visitors. To his surprise, the terminal was eerily empty. After waiting hours under the scorching sun, he finally welcomed a group of tourists who hired his boat for a two-hour ride.
“It felt like we were back in the midst of the pandemic [COVID-19],” he said. “The usual bustling crowds were nowhere to be seen, and as a result, local businesses, including the boats, had come to a standstill,” he said.
The baking temperatures have coincided with a popular time for the local crowd to visit Kumarakom — the summer vacations. While the destination rebounded sharply from pandemic-induced lows last year, the extreme weather has flagged another challenge as a critical part of the destination’s appeal is outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling, and boating.
Widespread cancellations
The unusually high temperatures have prompted the hospitality industry and tour operators to rework their packages for tourists to mitigate the impact of the heat. Industry stakeholders attest to widespread cancellations of bookings due to intense heat. Some say the changing travel patterns are likely to become the norm if extreme heat persists.
The Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala, for instance, has reworked the timing of its village-life experience packages around the morning hours. “The outdoor visits, which are harder in the heat, have been rescheduled from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., while the programmes in the evenings are being organised without any changes,” said an official.
MICE tourism
Hoteliers, on their part, have made the accommodation packages more flexible by allowing visitors more time to check out and introducing a summer-friendly menu in their restaurants. “The overall occupancy levels have come down to 50% as new bookings are not really coming in. Most hotels are now operating on the bookings received under the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segment,” said one of the hoteliers.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Vembanad Hotels and Resorts (CVHR), an organisation representing the premium hospitality segment in the region, expects the situation to improve in the coming weeks. “Comparing the present occupancy levels with the figures during the same period last year can be misleading as the business was on a sharp rebound at that time” said Soby George, secretary, CVHR.
