After flood, Munnar battles tea price fall

In wake of Diwali season that saw few tourists, hoteliers fear Christmas will be no different

While the plains and backwater regions of Kerala are getting back to a semblance of normality 100 days after the floods ravaged Kerala in August, the highlands like Munnar are battling a double challenge: A fall in tourist numbers and stagnant commodity prices, particularly for tea.

Munnar is one of Kerala’s top tourism destinations and this year the tourism sector was expecting an increased tourist footfall considering that it marked the blooming of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), which flowers only once every 12 years.

But the floods and the damage it caused to the infrastructure in Munnar, including severe damage to the road infrastructure, have kept many tourists away.

Hoteliers in Munnar say cancellations this season have been as high as 50 per cent, dealing a severe blow to the industry, particularly to those who had invested extra to reap returns from an expected increase in tourists this season.

During the Puja and Diwali seasons, when north Indian tourists throng Munnar, this year presented a different picture as rooms remained unoccupied. Many hoteliers are worried that the coming Christmas-New Year season will be no different, considering the bad state of roads and an apprehension among tourists that the hill station has not got back to normal.

Stagnant prices

Munnar’s famed tea plantations are also battling a challenge in the form of stagnant tea prices. South Indian teas sell for Rs90-Rs105 (Dh4.74-Dh5.53) per kg, and this price band has stagnated for nearly three years.

However, observers say that the best way for Munnar to claw back to better days is to continue to focus on tourism. Significantly, one of the state’s major plantation players, Harrisons Malayalam, is tapping the tourism opportunity to buttress its revenues from its sprawling tea plantations.