Fear of landslides hits monsoon tourism plans

The natural calamities reported across the country have resulted in the slowing down of monsoon tourism in Karnataka. In the last two weeks, a majority of travel plans to popular destinations such as Madikeri, Chikkamagaluru, and Sakleshpura have been cancelled, say city-based tour operators.

Radhakrishna Holla, president of Karnataka State Tour Operators’
Union, has noticed a 50% dip in travel bookings in Karnataka over the last 15 days. He hopes the trend will change before the Independence Day weekend. “Over the past two weeks, there have been daily alerts on avoiding tourist spots such as Mullayanagiri, Abbey falls, and Kemmangundi. This is causing unnecessary panic among tourists. In reality, most of Karnataka is safe for travel,” he says.

On July 30, Sakleshpura taluk witnessed multiple landslides and six vehicles got trapped under the mud. Last month, the Chikkamagaluru district commissioner advised tourists to postpone travel plans to the hilly region.

Karthik Marathe, partner at Nagarbhavi-based Nesara Tours, has not received any enquiries for tours to popular Western Ghat destinations since the landslides in Wayanad and Sakleshpura. “In August, we had a tour scheduled for a group of 10 to Kochi-Munnar-Allepey. But they cancelled the trip after news of the landslides broke. Usually during the monsoons, we get bookings from at least 2-3 families for trips to Mysuru, Kodagu and Kerala per month. These are popular destinations around this time of the year,” he tells Metrolife.

During the rainy season, the Mysuru-Ooty-Kerala and Mysuru-Kodagu packages are popular among city folk for weekend getaways. Shamanth Krishnamurthy, proprietor, Sanman Travel, has received a few enquiries for the same. “Some families and groups from north India were planning trips to Karnataka and wanted to visit these places, but I advised them against it. Considering the heavy rainfall, it’s not safe right now,” he says.

Prone to accidents

Abdul S B, a private taxi driver, had to recently cancel a trip to Mangaluru after multiple landslides were reported in the Shiradi Ghat area. “I plan to avoid the route for another week or so. There are other routes to get to Mangaluru, either through Madikeri or Charmadi Ghat, but these are also prone to accidents,” he says.

He recalls a near-accident while travelling to Kundapura last month. “The condition of the roads is bad, and the heavy rains added to the complications. The downpour was sudden and harsh, the car skidded right before we entered Mangaluru and almost crashed into the divider. But I was able to quickly gain control of the car,” he shares. The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert in coastal Karnataka mid-July.

A family of four, based in Sahakar Nagar, cancelled a trip to Vagamon, a hill station located in Kerala’s Idukki district. “We were supposed to visit in the first week of August, and had everything booked. But the idea of driving there did not sit right with us. I did not feel confident to drive the 600 km distance, after watching the news,” 26-year-old Shubhashini, tells Metrolife.

People are also steering clear of monsoon treks. “The Karnataka Tourism department has indefinitely closed some treks that were extremely popular during the rainy season. These won’t reopen until the rain subsides and the water levels are back to normal. But apart from this, the trekking routes that are open to the public are also not seeing much demand,” says Lahari C L, cofounder of Karnataka Hikes. In July, the state tourism department cancelled treks to Kodachadari, Kudremukh peak, Nethravathi peak, Kurinjal, Gangadikal peak, and Narasimha Parvatha peak until further notice.

Disrupted bus services

On July 31, KSRTC did not operate any buses from Kozhikode to Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chikkamagaluru, due to low demand. The rains are also frequently affecting bus services from Bengaluru to Kerala. “On July 30, due to heavy rainfall, there was flooding across the overbridge at Engapuzha near Thamarassery. All our vehicles had to be stopped there, and some returned,” a KSRTC representative told Metrolife.