KALPETTA: A post from Wayanad has been widely circulating in and around the country which says, “It’s important to clarify that Wayanad is a district, not a town. It’s a vast area of 2,300 square kilometres with a population of 8,17,420 people. The landslide affected only two villages in the southern part of the district.
Most of the tourist destinations will be open from August 15 onwards. Please consider supporting Wayanad tourism as a way to help the local community recover”. The post is from the resort, homestay owners of the district who have been badly affected due to the massive landslides in Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Meppadi Panchayat on July 30.
The landslides have delivered a severe blow to Wayanad’s tourism industry, triggering a wave of cancellations across resorts, homestays, and hotels. The region, typically bustling with tourists during the months of August and September, now faces a dramatic decline in new bookings as safety concerns deter potential visitors. The sector, which plays a vital role in Wayanad’s economy, is reeling under the weight of this crisis.
Prominent figures within the tourism industry, such as Chef Pillai, have voiced their concerns about the ongoing challenges. “Wayanad’s tourism has been badly affected due to the landslide,” he said. “However, efforts must be made to revive the sector.
It is crucial that we rebuild the trust of tourists and ensure that they know Wayanad is still a safe and beautiful destination.” Local authorities and tourism stakeholders are now working on strategies to reassure tourists and restore the region’s appeal. However, the road to recovery is expected to be long and challenging, with the current focus being on ensuring safety and restoring normalcy in the affected areas.
Local authorities, in collaboration with tourism stakeholders, are actively working on strategies to reassure tourists and restore the region’s appeal. A meeting was held with the District Collector to discuss the steps needed to revive Wayanad’s tourism. Vinod Raveendra Prasad, president of the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society in Wayanad, emphasised the urgency of the situation while pointing to the misconception that the entire district had been washed away by the landslide.
This misunderstanding has led to a surge in cancellations and demands for refunds. Prasad highlighted the critical importance of the tourism sector to Wayanad’s economy, especially in the wake of declining agricultural revenues due to wild animal attacks. He also said that in the last five years, significant investments have been made in the tourism sector, particularly in the villages of Meppadi Panchayat, including Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Attamala areas now severely affected by the disaster.
Prasad Ram, a resort owner at Padinjarathara, expressed deep concern over the mass cancellations that have plagued the local tourism industry since the landslide on July 30. “It is indeed unfortunate that we are all suffering from mass cancellations for the next two months,” he said. He explained that August had been fully booked before the disaster, but as news of the landslide spread, bookings started to decline rapidly.
This sudden drop in tourism has not only affected the resort owners but also the hundreds of people who rely on the industry for their livelihoods. The Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) received donations worth D160.79 crore as part of the “Stand With Wayanad” campaign as of Wednesday evening, an official statement read.
The total disbursals from the CMDRF between August 7 and August 13 was D1,41,14,000. As many as 370 persons from different districts were the beneficiaries. Maximum number of beneficiaries were in Thrissur (146), followed by Kollam and Kozhikode (35 each).
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