Tourist numbers up during summer season, but still fall below 2019 mark

UDHAGAMANDALAM Around 7.32 lakh tourists visited the Nilgiris Government Botanical Garden (GBG) dur

Around 7.32 lakh tourists visited the Nilgiris Government Botanical Garden (GBG) during the summer months of April and May this year, officials from the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops said.

Though the numbers were reflective of a rebound in the tourism sector this year, officials stated that the tourist numbers were far less than in 2019 – the last time visitors were invited to the district as part of the summer festival season, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the officials, the number of tourists who visited the GBG, usually the main factor which helps the Tourism Department gauge tourist flow into the district, was around 30 % fewer than in 2019. Statistics reveal around 10.49 lakh visitors had visited the GBG in 2019, while visitor numbers this year was just 7.32 lakh persons.

This year, 2.21 lakh visitors were recorded at the GBG in April and 5.10 lakh visitors in May.

Tourism officials said that heavy spells of rain during the summer season, coupled with exams for Class 10, 11 and 12 students had led to the decrease in tourist numbers when compared with the previous years.

K. Mani, a taxi driver from Udhagamandalam, said that the summer festival season being organised after a two-year break had given a welcome fillip to the tourism sector. “Many taxi drivers had sold their vehicles, while many small businesses had closed due to the pandemic. This year has helped taxi drivers and other sectors rebound. But, we have noticed that the number of visitors hasn’t been as high as in previous years. We hope that things will improve during the winter season and in 2023,” he said.