KTM Urges Political Parties to Exclude Tourism Sector from Strike Calls

KOCHI:
Observing that the frequent strikes in Kerala were a huge dampener for the revenue-generating tourism industry in the state, Kerala Travel Mart Society (KTM) today appealed to the political parties and other organisations to exclude tourists and tourism-related activities from yet another shutdown on Monday, April 9, and avoid inconvenience to the travellers.
KTM President Baby Mathew said that the proposed hartal on Monday would cause huge inconvenience to the people visiting Kerala as they would be stranded at airports and railway stations.
“Kerala is relying heavily on tourism and this money-spinning sector will be severely affected by hartals. In fact, strikes are the biggest unwelcome gesture to the tourists visiting the state. Forcibly shutting down all activities is not desirable for any state. It will convey a wrong message to the outside world which will weaken the tourism industry in Kerala,” he rued.
If this trend continues, it will deter investors and industrialists from setting up their enterprises in Kerala as there is no guarantee for the safety of their workers and belongings. Also, the tourists would find it unpalatable to visit the state again as they are left stranded on a hartal day without food and adequate transport, the KTM president observed.
“It took around 25-30 years of hard work for the tourism industry to achieve the current level of growth in the state and frequent strikes will affect its long-term prospects. It will surely send a wrong signal to both domestic and international tourists,” he said.
In 2017, Kerala recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals in the past nine years, with a 10.94 per cent rise as compared to the figures in the preceding year. The year 2017 also recorded the highest number of domestic tourist arrivals in the past nine-year period, with the number posting an 11.39 per cent rise compared with the figures of 2016.
Mathew said frequent strikes were adversely affecting the tourism industry, and urged political parties of all hues to make collective efforts to exclude tourists and tourist-related activities for ensuring unhindered growth of the tourism sector.