Travel advisories by the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia to their citizens visiting Kerala in the wake of hartals and street violence are a jolt to tourism industry that is bouncing back after the deluge in August. The travel advisories have come at a time when the Kerala tourism has claimed that it has been able to bring down the dip in tourist arrivals of 18.46% in August and 18.16% in September to 7% and 2% in October and November respectively. Member of the National Tourism Advisory Board, Abraham George, said the industry was clueless on the way ahead as domestic tourists were also skipping the destination. “The recent incidents have caused long-term damage to the tourism industry. The captains of the tourism industry are to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan next week in this regard.

Source: The Hindu January 06, 2019 15:22 UTC