Bhubaneswar: With at least three cases of novel coronavirus detected in Kerala this season, scores of tourists and others have reportedly cancelled their travel plans to the southwestern state in fear of getting afflicted with the fatal disease.
Post December, after it was first detected at Wuhan city in China, the deadly virus was identified in Kerala in late January. With over 1,300 deaths recorded across the globe so far, fear and rumours have gripped the people of Odisha even as they have either delayed or cancelled their plans to visit Kerala.
Although there is no direct flight available from Bhubaneswar to any city in Kerala, connecting flights from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi have registered a 35 per cent increase in cancellations last month.
As per sources from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), three out five flight operators from here provide direct and connecting flights to Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai. Although air carriers operating from here denied any possible links between ticket cancellations and coronavirus, they admitted that the cancellations have been high in January.
“Since there is no direct flight connecting Kerala, we cannot confirm that the cancellations are directly related to cases of coronavirus identified there. For instance, a passenger de-boarding at Hyderabad may or may not take the connecting flight to Thiruvananthapuram. However, on an average, January has had more cancellations on these routes,” said an official from one of the operators here.
While no official figure is available for cancellation of trips, experts believe that the number could be higher in railways.
As per reports from Kerala Tourism, about 22,100 people from Odisha visited Kerala in 2017-18, accounting for 0.15 per cent of the total tourist footfall in the God’s Own Country.
Known for its aesthetics in lush green tea estates, tranquil backwaters and pristine beaches, Kerala’s tourism has received a setback since the first case of coronavirus was detected. With over 2,800 people still under observation in Kerala, mass cancellations of hotel bookings and tour packages have been reported in the southwestern state.
Although the three cases were detected from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod, rumours of the dreaded disease have taken a toll on heavily-visited places like Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Wayanad. Speaking to Orissa POST, Chandan Swain, who had a honeymoon plan to Kerala, said, “Even though we are aware that coronavirus has been detected only in a few places there, our parents have been extremely apprehensive about it. We had to cancel our plans as we’re left with no choice.”
Aviral Mishra, OP