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Monsoon showers are perceived as a blessing for India’s agricultural output and economy. But for the country’s tourism, monsoons often prove detrimental. Travelling during the monsoons can be precarious. Sources from tourism industry have reported that the number of domestic and foreign tourists has diminished this year during the rainy season.

Kerala has been the worst hit during this rainy season. Suresh Kumar, the General Manager of Ramada Resort, Kochi, opined that there has been a drop in hotel bookings by Arab tourists who are their major source of income. Mithun R. Chand associated with Letsgotravel.in, a travel agency, said, “Last year, the Arabs extended their stay. Hotels and cottages profited the most. This year, the bookings are less due to the ongoing Ramzan. Incessant rain has also played spoilsport. Several monsoon diseases like dengue and poor infrastructure are restricting people from visiting Kochi.”

Wayanad Tourism Organisation General Secretary K. Ravindran said that the tourist flow is extremely poor this year. A meet of 400 tour operators was held at Wayanad, Kerala, to attract more people to the hilly regions. The hotels in Kochi are providing 60% discount for rooms and 20% discount for food and beverages to recover from the dull spell.Sites of Hindu pilgrimages like Kedarnath and Badrinath are inaccessible during the rainy season. The banks of

rivers like Alaknanda and Ganga have overflowed, destroying life and property. As a result, these tourist spots are avoided by people. Unfortunately, people who have visited these places are stuck. There have been many cases of people getting lost and dying too in these areas.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has said that heavy monsoon rains will continue in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh with flash floods, hailstorms, and landslides causing significant damage. The Himalayas are one of the most geodynamic regions of the world. This area is prone to earthquakes and erosion. Due to rainfall, the erosion can be witnessed in increased sediment load in the Himalayan rivers. The movement of tourists to these places has understandably declined. The hotels are trying new marketing strategies to earn revenues during this off season. They are offering special deals to their regular customers like happy hours and pool parties. They are also offering to orga-nize seminars and events for companies that attract corporate clients.

During the monsoon, the waves become dangerous at the Baga beach in North Goa. The sea remains violent from May to September. Tourists not allowed to Jet Ski or play games close to the beach. Hotels are trying to generate revenue by providing spa packages and special vouchers on foods and beverages. Few hotels go out of the box and arrange events like weddings, sports, cocktail parties and local art exhibitions.

Wildlife destinations are out of bounds during the monsoons. Forests are mostly closed during this period. Hotels based around forests during this period try to stay connected with their regular customers through emails and social media. They spend this time in gathering customer reviews which are used for their improvement.